Assessing the health, safety and environment of roadside fabrication workshops to the neighborhoods

Abstract

This study investigated the health, safety, and environmental impacts of roadside fabrication workshops on surrounding neighborhoods. Roadside fabrication workshops are common in many urban areas, providing essential services but also potentially generating hazards. This research aimed to assess these impacts to inform strategies for mitigating negative consequences and promoting safer, healthier coexistence in Kampala, Uganda. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 40 respondents living at varying distances from RSFWs along Katwe Road, Kampala. The data were analyzed using Smart-PLS SEM to evaluate the relationships among environmental impacts, health hazards, safety hazards, and community perception and engagement. The results revealed that safety hazards such as fire risks, electrical faults, and unstable structures had a strong and statistically significant influence on community engagement (β = 0.585, p = 0.004). In contrast, health hazards (β = 0.107, p = 0.561) and environmental impacts (β = 0.089, p = 0.487) showed weaker and statistically non-significant effects. These findings indicated that communities were more responsive to immediate and visible safety risks than to less tangible health or environmental concerns. The study concluded that addressing safety issues should be a priority in regulatory efforts and recommended the implementation of strict safety and environmental standards, public awareness campaigns, and infrastructure improvements to promote sustainable and safer workshop operations in urban settings.