Horticulture Essay

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Information
Flower farming in the world has grown considerably since early 1980s. Kenya boasts the most successful flower industry in Africa and there has been rapid expansion in this industry in Kenya over the last few years. Presently there are over 500 producers / exporters growing cut flowers in Kenya. Production is largely concentrated on some 60 or so medium to large scale flower operations of which the 25 largest producers account for over 60% of total exports. The larger flower farms range in size from 20 to over 100 hectares under production with labour force ranging from 250 — 6000 workers/farm and by the year 2008 horticulture industry in Kenya was employing 1.5 million people directly

These flowers are big business for Kenya. The sector is now the fastest growing in the Kenyan economy, outpacing Kenya's traditional hard currency earners tea and tourism which bringing new employment opportunities for the unemployed. Women in particular have benefited from these opportunities, and now comprise between 65-75 percent of workers employed in the industry (GOK, 2007).

However, floriculture being a relatively new industry in this country, not so much research on the health status of the workers in this industry has been carried out. This means that the morbidity pattern of the workers in floriculture industry may not be known therefore unavailable for proper planning of the health needs of these workers. Ultimately, the reputation of majority of the flower farms are easily tainted due to the recurring health concerns of the workers.
With the health and safety needs for the workers, comes the element of communication in ensuring that the policies are well disseminated. Communication is a critical tool that gives the workers adequate and useful information on how they can live in harmony and take the necessary precautions to guarantee of their individual safety within the

Human beings are prone to error, and these errors have an impact on the organization and its stakeholders. Health and safety is for many organizations and increasingly serious business.
1.3 General Objective of the study
The general objective of this study was to determine the significance of workplace communication as a tool of disseminating health and safety policies to the employees.
1.4 Specific Objectives:
i) To determine the impact of poor health and safety practices on the reputation of an organization. ii) To identify different tools of communication that can be used to disseminate information. iii) To recommend solutions which organizations can use to enhance effective communication in the dissemination of health and safety policies.
1.5 Limitations of Study:
i) Some of the respondents were hesitant to give their own opinions on the health and safety