Evaluation of the Compliance Rate to Health and Safety Regulations of Some Selected Small and Micro Urban Informal Sector Activities in Port Harcourt Metropolis Rivers State

The research focused on the evaluation of the compliance rate to health and safety regulations by some selected small and micro urban informal sectors activities in Port Harcourt Metropolis in Rivers State. Small and micro operators from cassava mill, poultry farm, saloon, and restaurant and kiosk shop were the target population. Taro Yamane formula was deployed to get the sample size of 400 respondents. The research adopted the cross sectional and descriptive method of data analyses. Questionnaire was structured as open-ended and concise questions using the established parameters to elicit accurate responses from operators. The study adopted probability and non-probability sampling techniques, Chi-square statistical tool was deployed to test the hypotheses stated and percentages used for analyses. Results revealed that there was a statistical significance difference between the numbers of small and micro urban informal sector operators with the documented history on oral health and safety policy that guides their operations which culminated to the health challenges faced by operators. Secondly, there was significant statistical difference between the awareness methodical approach adopted in health, safety and environmental to the improvement in health and safety enlightenment, and thirdly, there was significant difference between the compliance rate to the regulations and the health challenges faced by respondents. The recommendations of the study suggests an improved culture of health and safety of the people at the local communities to be top-most importance by the government bearing in mind the enormous contributions of the sector to the state and national economy. The basic safety and health precautionary methods should be made enforceable by the agencies in their activities. This would eventually lead to the decrease of the global outbreak of rising health and safety challenges from the sector.