Awareness of occupational hazards and utilization of PPE amongst welders in Jos metropolis, Nigeria

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 30.6% and earplugs 12.9%. A statistically significant (p≤0.05) relationship was found between employment pattern as well as working hours per day and the use of safety devices.Conclusions: The study showed that most of the welders had fair knowledge of welding related health problems, hazards and safety devices, and utilization of safety devices was less than optimal. An educational campaign on workplace hazards, types and proper use of different personal protective devices should be instituted for welders on a regular basis by the welders association, local and state government

Awareness and practice of safety measures against occupational hazards among aluminium foundry workers in Jos, Nigeria

Background: Founding predisposes the worker to hazards (extreme heat, dust, fumes, sharp objects), which if unchecked, can cause health problems (burns, respiratory problems, cuts). This study aimed to assess the awareness and practice of safety measures against occupational hazards among aluminium foundry workers in Jos-North LGA.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study, which involved 125 aluminium foundry workers in Laranto-Katako area of Jos-North LGA. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Analysis of data was done using EPI-Info® version 3.5.4 statistical software package. A probability value of p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: All 125 (100%) respondents were males with a mean age of 24.8±9.7 years and 52 (41.2%) were less than 20 years of age. The study revealed that 118 (94.4%) of them were aware of occupational hazards associated with foundries; The hazards most known were fires with 116 (92.8%) mentions, extreme heat, 85 (68.0) and sharp objects, 85 (68.0%), and with the least being, long working hours, 25 (20.0%). A majority, 118 (94.4%) were aware of hand gloves, 114 (91.2%) nose masks with overalls having the least awareness, 13 (10.4%). The most frequently used safety measures were nose masks, 73 (58.4%), then hand gloves, 57 (45.6%). A statistically significant relationship, with p value of 0.0321, was found between the level of education and the practice of safety measures.Conclusions: The study showed that most of the foundry workers had good knowledge of the hazards, safety measures; however, there was low use of safety measures. An educational campaign on the hazards and use of safety measures, accompanied by the efforts of the government, should be instituted for the foundry workers regularly to help safeguard their health

Obstetric referrals: the practice by community health workers

Background: Maternal mortality is a major health challenge in Nigeria. Improper/late referral of obstetric patients is a major contributor to these deaths. This cross-sectional study documents the practice of referral of obstetric patients and the challenges faced by community health extension workers attending a Community Health Officers Training programme in a teaching hospital in NigeriaMethods: Pretested self- administered questionnaires were administered to students undergoing the Community Health Officers training programme at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Focused group discussions were also conducted.Results: Majority of the respondents (93.8%) referred patients to other healthcare facilities and the reasons proffered for referring patients include complications (54.7%), for proper care (34.4%) and based on guidelines/protocol (6.3%). Majority of respondents 89.1%, 84.4% and 78.1% referred patients with eclampsia, abnormal lies and presentation and antepartum haemorrhage respectively while about half of the respondents referred primigravidae, grandmultigravidae and women with multiple gestation. Half of the respondents had encountered challenges while referring patients to other health facilities. The challenges highlighted during the group discussions in referring patients include absence of feedback from referred hospitals, insults from health workers at the referred centres, patients refusing to go to other hospitals due to lack of funds and complaints of poor treatment/care by health workers in those hospitals.Conclusion: The practice of referrals of obstetric patients by community health workers is poor. Health workers should be trained on proper patient referral with the use of clearly written guidelines/protocols.Keywords: Community health workers, Obstetrics, Practice, Referral