Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Legal Compliance in a Plastic Manufacturing Industry in Samut Sakhon Province
Main Article Content
Abstract
Occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation serves as a fundamental mechanism for protecting workers from occupational hazards, particularly in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), where systematic health surveillance is often limited. This study aimed to assess compliance with OHS legislation in a plastic manufacturing factory in Samut Sakhon Province and to compare compliance levels over the period 2023 to 2025, with particular attention to implications for workers’ health surveillance. A retrospective compliance audit study was conducted using an OHS legal compliance checklist covering ten regulatory categories. Data were derived exclusively from organizational records and documents; no direct involvement of human participants was undertaken. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize compliance levels, while the Friedman test was applied to compare compliance across years. The findings demonstrated a clear improvement in overall legal compliance over time. Mean compliance increased from 75.96% in 2023 to 91.47% in 2024 and 92.00% in 2025, with statistically significant differences across years (p < 0.05). Several legal categories showed marked improvement, whereas one category consistently exhibited low compliance, indicating a persistent structural gap. The results suggest that legal compliance functions as a critical foundation for occupational health management systems and supports the establishment of effective health surveillance mechanisms in SMEs. In conclusion, systematic assessment of OHS legal compliance provides valuable evidence for strengthening occupational health governance and enhancing worker health surveillance, particularly in urban industrial SMEs.
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บทความที่พิมพ์ในวารสารสถาบันป้องกันควบคุมโรคเขตเมือง ถือว่าเป็นผลงานวิชาการ งานวิจัยและวิเคราะห์ ตลอดจนเป็นความเห็นส่วนตัวของผู้เขียนเอง ไม่ใช่ความเห็นของสถาบันป้องกันควบคุมโรคเขตเมือง หรือคณะบรรณาธิการแต่ประการใด ผู้เขียนจำต้องรับผิดชอบต่อบทความของตน
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พระราชบัญญัติ ความปลอดภัย อาชีวอนามัยและสภาพแวดล้อมในการทำงาน พ.ศ. 2554. ราชกิจจานุเบกษา เล่มที่ 128, ตอนที่ 4 ก (ลงวันที่ 17 มกราคม 2554).