KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND COMPLIANCE TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES AMONG VEHICLE ARTISANS
Keywords:
knowledge level, attitude, occupational health, safety practices, artisans, swame magazineAbstract
Occupational health hazards pose a significant public health problem that has severe social and economic implications. Occupational health and safety is the science of predicting, identifying, evaluating and managing the hazards occurring in or from the workstation that could affect the safety and well-being of employees, taking into account the possible effects on the surrounding neighbourhoods and the general environment. Vehicle artisans, also known as mechanics, apply chemicals that may be hazardous to carry out vehicle repairs. Chemical spraying is the most efficient way of applying solvents, penetrating lubricants, and cleaners that are often uniquely shaped or hard-to-access areas of a vehicle. A cross-sectional study was conducted among artisans from May 1 to September 30, 2020. Data from 233 respondents utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches were obtained. Study participants were randomly selected employing a stratified random sampling technique from 3 units of welders, sprayers and mechanics. Data was analyzed into descriptive and inferential statistics at p<0.05 using STATA vs 14.0 software. All the artisans sampled were male with a mean age of 32.28. Persons between the age brackets of 18-37 years constituted the majority. More than half (59.23%) of the artisans had junior high school education. Lack of training (80.26%) and discomfort in wearing PPE was associated with poor application of safety procedures. The study also revealed that more than half of the employees (59.66%) sought medical treatment from a health physician. The study, therefore, concludes that although vehicle artisans have good health-seeking behaviour, hazards and accident prevention requires training and adherence to safety application at all levels.
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Copyright (c) 2023 MAGDALENE PHILIP UMOH, JOHN HUMPHREY AMUASI, ABRAHAM ISIAKA JIMMY, MICHAEL ASIEDU TETTEH, FELIX AGYEMONG OPOKU, JAMES FALLAH, PAUL ANDREW BOURNE, TABITHA MUCHEE
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