Assessment of Awareness of Occupational Health Problems, and the Practices of Safety Measures among Welders in a Semi-Urban Town in South-South Nigeria

Osagiede EF^*1, Ilokhor OK², Ehimen FA,³ Airefetalor IA,⁴ Otaigbe OI⁴, and Abah SO.²

¹Department of Community Medicine, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Nigeria.

²Department of Community Health and Primary Health Care, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Nigeria.

³Department of Preventive Healthcare and Community Medicine, Lily Hospital, Warri, Nigeria.

⁴Department of Community Medicine, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria.

*Correspondence

Osagiede EF

Email: drosagiedeef@gmail.com

Tel: +2348039433810

Abstract

Welders are exposed to a variety of occupational hazards with untoward health effects. However, little is known of welders' awareness and knowledge of occupational health hazards, and their practices of safety measures to reduce the occurrence of preventable hazards in their workplaces. This study assessed the awareness of occupational hazards and practice of safety measures among welders in a sub-urban community in South-South, Nigeria.  A structured questionnaire was administered to 58 welders in Ekpoma Edo State, Nigeria. Information was sought on their socio-demographic characteristics, their awareness of occupational hazards and practice of safety measures. Their workshops were inspected for the availability and the expiring date of fire extinguishers. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21. Chi-square test and Fisher Exact test were used to test for significance at a p-value of <0.05.  All the welders were aware of one or more workplace health problems. There was a statically significant association with the type of welding flame used. The frequently used protective equipment were safety goggles (81%), insulated safety gloves (56.9%) and work suits/coverall (50%). The level of awareness of occupational hazards was high, with sub-optimal utilization of protective measures against the hazards. There is, therefore, the need for health and safety education for these workers for their health promotion and the reduction in exposure to harm in the workplace and the increase of productivity.

Keywords: Awareness, Occupational hazards, Safety Measures, South-South Nigeria, Welders.