The relationship between safety audit effectiveness and client satisfaction : a case study of private schools in Embakasi Constituency, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to establish if there exists a relationship between safety audit effectiveness and client satisfaction amongst private schools in Embakasi constituency in Nairobi. To address this objective, a cross sectional design approach was adopted whereby the various heads of the school safety programs were surveyed using research questionnaires. Safety audit effectiveness was established by key indicators of effectiveness as identified from related literature. The indicators studied were: Standard Setting, Feedback Mechanism and Behavior Modification. The study found a strong positive relationship between Standard setting and client satisfaction. Between feedback mechanism and client satisfaction the study found a weak positive relationship which was not significant. Behavior Modification and client satisfaction depicted a negative relationship. The study also established that half the schools had a good understanding of the school safety and procedures manual despite about 68% of the institutions indicating that the levels of emergency preparedness in the institutions were not enhanced by the safety audits. Primary data was obtained by using a questionnaire which was submitted to the various schools heads of safety programs within Embakasi Constituency. Embakasi constituency consist of 38 private secondary schools and is the most populous zone in Nairobi County. The National Institute of Health (2006) in its study on emergency call workload and population density concluded that the higher the population density, the higher the emergency call rate. Feedback derived was used to draw relationships between the safety audit effectiveness and client satisfaction. The research further made recommendations on areas based on it findings it felt the safety officers would improve to enhance satisfaction. Additionally, the research has made proposals for additional research into client satisfaction with safety audits. This paper contributes to the body of occupational health and safety program within Kenya which was enacted in 2007 with an objective of minimizing business and human losses to organizations arising from emergencies. The findings give incite to what could be a contributor to the rising levels of emergencies in schools despite having legislation in place.