Knowledge of occupational hazards among sawmill workers in Kwara state, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge of sawmill workers on occupational hazards in Kwara State.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

It was a cross-sectional analytical study using a multi-stage sampling technique to recruit sawmill workers into the study group in Kwara State. One hundred and ninety-six workers who had been in continuous employment in sawmill factories for a minimum of 6 months were studied. Semi-structured questionnaire adapted from British Medical Council questionnaire on occupational hazards was used for data collection. A 15-point scale was used to assess knowledge of respondents by awarding 1 and 0 point to correct and wrong responses, respectively. Respondents with total score of >5, 5-7 and >7 were classified as having poor, fair and good knowledge of occupational hazards. The data generated were entered and analysed using SPSS version 16 computer software. A P > 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant at 95% confidence level for the study.

RESULTS

The knowledge of sawmill workers on occupational hazards was low, 61.7% of the respondents had poor knowledge, whereas 15.8% had good knowledge. Half of the respondents knew that exposure to hazards could be reduced by limiting their work hours to a maximum of 8 hours per day. More than three-quarters had experienced noise, closely followed by heat and injuries among the study group.

CONCLUSION

Sawmill workers experience various work-related hazards and health problems. This study revealed the need for an increased knowledge on occupational hazards and its prevention among sawmill workers in Kwara State.