Impact of Employee Health and Safety Practices on Turnover in the Selected City Councils: A Study of Mbale And Jinja, Eastern Uganda

This study investigates the relationship between employee health and safety practices and turnover rates in Ugandan city councils, focusing on Mbale and Jinja municipalities. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, data were collected from 341 public sector employees through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis revealed moderate implementation of health and safety protocols (mean = 2.86/5), with critical deficits in protective equipment provision (73% unmet needs) and annual safety training (68% non-compliance). Correlation analysis demonstrated a strong inverse relationship between health/safety practices and turnover intentions (r=−0.719r = -0.719r=−0.719, p<0.01p < 0.01p<0.01), while linear regression indicated that health and safety measures accounted for 51.6% of turnover variance (β=−0.719\beta = -0.719β=−0.719, p<0.01p < 0.01p<0.01). Qualitative findings highlighted systemic failures in hazard mitigation and policy enforcement, exacerbating attrition risks. Grounded in Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the results position health and safety as critical hygiene factors in low-resource public sector contexts. These findings underscore the urgency of institutionalizing occupational safety standards to mitigate turnover in Uganda’s local governments.