Pages: (1-8 )
Abstract
In low-income and middle-income countries, welders are unlikely to adhere to welding safety practices or make appropriate use of personal protective equipment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of common occupational injuries and work-related health conditions among welders. It also sought to evaluate their level of knowledge regarding hazards and safety issues surrounding welding practices, and degree of adherence to safety practices. This was a cross-sectional survey design which enrolled 163 consenting welders in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data were collected with a validated instrument and analysed by SPSS version 25 and presented results as frequency distribution, summaries of descriptive statistics and results of tests of hypotheses conducted at 5% level of significance. The results showed that knowledge of welders in the study pertaining to welding hazards and established safety practices was above average and correlated significantly with adherence to safety practices (r=0.208, p=0.01). In addition, a negative (but not significant) relationship was observed between the prevalence of weldingrelated injuries and degree of adherence to safety practices (r=-0.134), and a positive and significant
relationship was found to exist between level of knowledge concerning welding hazards and safety practices, and degree of adherence to safety practices (r= 0.340, p=0.01). Welders demonstrated above average knowledge about the hazards involved in welding but lacked adherence to established safety practices. This study recommended the enforcement of stnadards of safety by trade union personnel during their regular meetings with members, encouragement of employers to get their employees trained on proper safety practices, and provision of supervision where needed.
Keywords: Welders, Safety practices, Work-related injuries, Health, Hazards, Knowledge.,