Awareness and utilization of personal protective equipment among small-scale welders in Cross River State, Nigeria: a descriptive cross-sectional study (original) (raw)
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Compliance in the Use of Personal Protective Equipment by Welders in Delta State, Nigeria
https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR\_Vol.7\_Issue.1\_Jan2020/Abstract\_IJRR005.html, 2020
Welders are exposed to physical and chemical hazards that can lead to injuries. This study was carried out in Delta State, Nigeria to investigate the compliance of welders toward the use of personal protective equipment required for their work. The study was a descriptive study carried out in Delta State, Southern Nigeria. The multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the subjects used for this study. A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the welders. Data collected was uploaded into the Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and analysis was done using the chi-square at 0.05 level of significance. A total of 390 welders were interviewed in this study. Results on the compliance of welders with recommended guidelines for enforcement of the use of personal protective equipment showed that 244 (62.6%) were aware of the compliance guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment, 146(37.4%) were not; 200(82%) of the welders complied with the recommended guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment. On the barrier to the use of PPE, 140(35.2%) reported lack of training on the use of PPE, followed by inadequate quantity of PPE with 80(20.5%). For the PPE used, 225(57.7%) said they used eye goggles, 70(17.9%) said coverall and the least was nose mask with 10(2.6%). The data was analyzed with chi-square test and showed that there is statistically significant relationship (X 2 = 233.893 a ; DF = 3; P < 0.05) between age group and use of personal protective equipment among welders. It also showed significant relationship (X 2 = 233.893 a ; DF = 3; P < 0.05) between level of education and use of personal protective equipment among welders. In conclusion, there is low level of knowledge among welders due to their poor educational background on the use of personal protective equipment. Health education on welding and its health effects was recommended for welders.
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Welding is an ancient profession; it is a process of joining or cutting metal parts using flame or electric arc and other sources of heat. Welding can be dangerous and unhealthy if appropriate precautions are not taken. It is associated with a lot of hazards and has been ranked as a high risk occupation based on cost related injuries. 1 There are more than 80 different types of welding and associated processes 2 but the commonest types in Nigeria are gas and electric arc welding. 2 Gas welding utilizes oxyacetylene flame while electric arc welding involves the use of electricity. 3,4 Welders ABSTRACT Background: Welding work serves as a means of livelihood for many Nigerians and welders are exposed to a variety of occupational hazards. In Nigeria, high rate of welding injuries has been reported to be due to low or non-use of PPE and this has been attributed to poor knowledge. Several studies have recommended education as a means of educating welders. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of health education intervention on PPE use among oxyacetylene welders. Methods: This is an interventional study with a control. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire from respondents selected by simple random technique, and was repeated after 3 month after health education intervention. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20, Chi-square analysis was used to determine observed differences between both groups pre-and post-intervention. Results: At pre-intervention, there were significant differences in the level of knowledge and use of some PPE between the two groups. The proportions of respondents that have knowledge of various types of PPE and used them was significantly higher in the intervention group (p<0.05). The frequency of used of PPE also increased. The main reason for non-use of PPEs were high cost and inconvenience. Conclusions: Health education brought about a significant increase in awareness and use of PPE. Regular health education needs to be given to all cadres of workers in their workplaces on the use of PPE to reduce occupational related injuries.
Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 2020
Introduction: The sprawling of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing world provides several challenges to ensuring health and safety practices among workers in the urban poor. Purpose: The main objective of the study will be to determine the knowledge of physical hazards and the use of PPEs based demographic characteristics among welders in Embakasi constituency, Nairobi County. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 214 welders from 72 workshops in the Embakasi region, namely in Kariobangi South Light Industries, Kayole, and Umoja. Data collection procedure entailed observation, focus group discussions, and interviews with welders in Embakasi, Nairobi. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22 and both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were conducted to explain the association between the study variables. Results: The study indicated that 90.2% of welders knew the activities at the workplace that pose health hazard...
Awareness of occupational hazards and utilization of PPE amongst welders in Jos metropolis, Nigeria
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Background: Welding poses a range of both well-known and subtle hazards to health and safety. These hazards can act quickly or may show up only in the long term. They can be rapidly fatal (electric shock or exposure to cadmium fumes) or have delayed effects (lung changes over time). This study aimed to assess the awareness of occupational hazards and utilization of PPE amongst welders in Jos metropolis.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 295 welders in Jos metropolis. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which was entered and analyzed using Epi-info version 3.5.4 statistical software. A probability value of p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: All the respondents were males with a mean age of 24.6±7.7 years. The study revealed that 293 (99.3%) were aware of occupational hazards in welding. In this study, goggles were the most frequently used PPE 98%, then gloves 65.4%, boots 58%, overalls 36.3%, facemask ...
Research Article Assessment of the Use of Safety Devices by Welders in Osogbo, Nigeria
2014
This research work assessed the use of safety devices in the prevention of occupational hazards among welders in Osogbo Osun state, Nigeria. It is a non experimental descriptive study comprising 110 consenting welders as sample. Structured questionnaire was administered to the participants. The results showed that respondents’ ages ranged from 20 – 60 years with a mean 29 ± 2.54. The results revealed that 107 (97.3%) of the respondents were male while 3 (2.7%) were female. Three hypotheses were tested using chi square tests. Results of the first hypothesis showed that the subjects lack adequate knowledge on the use of safety devices and their influence on the occurrence of occupational hazards. Also, th e results of the second hypothesis showed that there is significant difference between the educational qualification of welders and the use of safety devices. Those welders with post secondary education complied more in the use of safety devices than thei r colleagues with lower educ...
Annals of African Medicine, 2009
Background: Welders are exposed to a variety of occupational hazards with untoward health effects. However, little is known of welders' awareness of health hazards and their adherence to safety precautions in developing countries. This study assessed the awareness of occupational hazards and adherence to safety measures among welders in Kaduna metropolis in northern Nigeria. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered on a cross-section of 330 welders in Kaduna metropolis in northern Nigeria. Information was sought on their socio-demographic characteristics, their awareness of occupational hazards and adherence to safety measures. Results: All welders were males with a mean age of 35.7 ± 8.4 years. The illiteracy rate was 7.6%. Overall, 257 (77.9%) of the welders were aware of one or more workplace hazards. This was positively influenced by educational attainment, age, nature of training and work experience. Of the 330 respondents, 282 (85.3%) had experienced one or more work-related accidents in the preceding year. The most common injuries sustained were cut/injuries to the hands and fingers (38.0%), back/waist pain (19%), arc eye injuries/foreign bodies (17.0%), burns (14.0%), hearing impairment (7.0%), fractures (4.0%) and amputation (1.0%). Only 113 (34.2%) welders used one or more types of protective device with eye goggles (60.9%), hand gloves (50.3%) and boots (34.5%) being more frequently used. Regular use of safety device, shorter working hours and increasing experience were protective of occupational accidents. Conclusions: The level of awareness of occupational hazards was high with sub optimal utilization of protective measures against the hazards. There is therefore need for health and safety education of these workers for health and increased productivity.
African Journal of Health Safety and Environment, 2022
rotecting the health of workers cannot be achieved without the workers having adequate knowledge of hazards in their workplace. Knowledge of these hazards can be affected by several factors. Discovering the factors that affect knowledge will help in instituting measures to ensure that the workers have adequate knowledge. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic determinants of health hazards awareness among welders in Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to obtain information from 295 welders choosen through a systematic random sampling technique. The socio-demographic determinants measured include age, educational attainment, length of practice, type of training received and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages, and inferential statistics of Chi-square. Data indicated 66.22% of the respondents as having a high awareness of health hazards associated with their work. In addition, the chi-square test revealed that awareness of health hazards was positively influenced by age of the respondents, educational attainment, length of practice (experience) and type of training received. There was no association between awareness of health hazards and the use of PPE in the study area. The study, therefore, recommends the need for the government to have a proper health education session for this economically viable group on the health effects of these workplace hazards as this will contribute to the reduction of work-related injuries, as most of the welders are after the economic benefit derived from the occupation while the health hazard is grossly disregarded.
Global Journal of Geography and environmental Sciences, 2021
Exposure to occupational hazards with resultant injuries and diseases has profound effects both on work productivity and on the socioeconomic well-being of workers and their families, these hazards are very common in the informal sector (such as welding) which is inadequately supervised and lacks occupational health services.The study assessesthe prevalence of occupational hazards and safety practices among weldersin Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State. Questionnaire and observation checklist were used to obtain information from 295 respondents selected through systematic random sampling techniques. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, charts and graphs. The study showed that burns and cut injuries to the fingers were the most commonly recognized prevailing hazards among the respondents. There was low and ineffective use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) with correspondingly high prevalence of work place accidents and injuries. The study observed that none of the studied subjects were found to use the full complement of the required PPEs. The most frequently perceived preventive measures observed is keeping the workplace clean and orderly as cited by 95.25% welders.The study recommends the need for government, employers and other stakeholders to promote ownership and consistent use of PPE, in addition to monitoring welders and their employers for compliance with workplace health and safety standards. Health education session of this economically viable group on the health effects of these workplace hazards could contribute towards reduction of work-related accidents.
European Journal of Preventive Medicine
Small-scale enterprises and the informal sector such as mechanical, welding and carpentry workshops constitute the fastest growing economic sectors and represent the most realistic form of employment creation. These occupations are vulnerable and prone to concern themselves with survival rather than improving health and safety and as such health risks remain high in their workplaces. The objectives of this study was to assess the provision of PPEs to employees and level of enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety Act of 2010 with other regulations, guidelines and standard operational procedures in mechanical, welding and carpentry workshops in Mbala District of Northern province in the Republic of Zambia. A descriptive survey of 75 employees from small scale industries or workshops was conducted and data was collected using a questionnaire in line with key ILO thematic areas for workplaces. The results showed that the employees in these workshops were generally not complying with requirements for provision of PPEs with 28% of employees reported not being provided with PPEs. Emergency preparedness and prevention in the workplaces was also poor as none of the employees reported being trained or inducted in first aid management and 0% had first aid kit at their workshop as only 8% were inducted. It was also revealed that employees in Mechanical, Welding and Carpentry workshops in Mbala District of Zambia mostly are not complying with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2010 on general provisions including regulation 22 on provision and use of PPEs leading to dangerous and highly risky workplace environment. It was further revealed that all the employees from workshops interviewed have never been inspected or audited by Factory Inspectors from the Ministry of Labor and Social Services or from any other authorized bodies leading to lack of legal enforcement. The findings of this study can be used to update the health and safety conditions at different workplaces, achieving many socioeconomic benefits for Zambia. Intervention plans like education, awareness, and regular medical checkups should be advocated which help in prevention and minimizing workplace exposures to occupational hazards. The identification and prevention of work-related health costs could result in substantial savings for the national health system, leading to the more sustainable social system. This study provides the baseline for elaborative studies in the future.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a very important role in ensuring that artisans are healthy and safe in automotive workshops. Different studies have revealed that PPE is often not worn by workers in the informal sector in Ghana, and this undermines their general health and safety and leads to different types of injuries. This study focuses on the usage of PPE among local automotive artisans in Ghana. Questionnaires were administered to two hundred (200) artisans randomly selected which constituted the sample for the study.The results from the study revealed that majority of artisans understand the need for PPE usage for protection against accident, injury and illness and willing to practice it. However most artisans do not wear PPE because it is sometimes not available for use and in few cases where it is available the issue of comfort with respect to its usage needs to be addressed. Policies and regulations with respect to the use of PPE need to be developed and implemented in Ghana.