Ahmed Abdulla Salih
Department of Community Nursing, College of Nursing, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRQ.
Cureus. 2024 Sep 8;16(9):e68937. doi: 10.7759/cureus.68937. eCollection 2024 Sep.
Background and aim The construction industry is a high-risk environment where the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for worker safety. Despite the clear benefits of PPE, compliance rates among construction workers are often suboptimal. In response to these concerns, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes regarding PPE usage among construction workers in Erbil City, Iraq. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 15, 2022, to June 15, 2023, among construction workers in Erbil. Convenience sampling was used to collect data through a self-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected demographic information, as well as responses to a 15-item Knowledge Questionnaire and an 8-item Attitude Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28 (Released 2021; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York). Frequency and percentage were used to describe qualitative variables, while mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables. Parametric tests such as the independent sample t-test and ANOVA were used, along with multinomial logistic regression, to assess the relationships between knowledge, attitude, and various demographic factors. Results A total of 280 workers participated in the study. The mean knowledge score was 13.56 ± 1.17, indicating a good level of knowledge, while the mean attitude score was 6.86 ± 1.11, reflecting a fair attitude toward PPE usage. A significant majority of the participants, 97.9% (274), were categorized as having good knowledge, while 68.2% (191) exhibited a fair attitude towards PPE usage. The analysis showed that demographic factors such as age, marital status, working hours, work experience, and employment type did not significantly affect knowledge or attitude, with all odds ratios (ORs) near 1 and P-values above 0.05. Conclusion The findings indicate that construction workers in Erbil generally have good knowledge but only a fair attitude toward PPE usage. These results suggest that healthcare providers and policymakers should implement targeted educational interventions to improve workers' attitudes toward PPE, aiming to boost compliance and enhance workplace safety. Additionally, these interventions should address practical barriers to PPE usage, such as discomfort or lack of accessibility. By fostering more positive attitudes and ensuring the availability of necessary resources, overall safety in the construction industry can be significantly improved.
背景与目的 建筑业是一个高风险环境，使用个人防护装备（PPE）对工人安全至关重要。尽管个人防护装备有明显益处，但建筑工人的合规率往往不尽人意。针对这些问题，本研究旨在评估伊拉克埃尔比勒市建筑工人对个人防护装备使用的知识和态度。方法 本横断面研究于2022年12月15日至2023年6月15日在埃尔比勒的建筑工人中开展。采用便利抽样法，通过自行设计的问卷收集数据。问卷收集了人口统计学信息，以及对一份包含15个条目的知识问卷和一份包含8个条目的态度问卷的回答。使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 28版（2021年发布；IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）进行统计分析。频率和百分比用于描述定性变量，定量变量则计算均值和标准差。使用独立样本t检验和方差分析等参数检验，以及多项逻辑回归，来评估知识、态度和各种人口统计学因素之间的关系。结果 共有280名工人参与了本研究。知识得分均值为13.56±1.17，表明知识水平良好，而态度得分均值为6.86±1.11，反映出对个人防护装备使用的态度尚可。绝大多数参与者，即97.9%（274人），被归类为知识良好，而68.2%（191人）对个人防护装备使用表现出尚可的态度。分析表明，年龄、婚姻状况、工作时长、工作经验和就业类型等人口统计学因素对知识或态度没有显著影响，所有比值比（OR）均接近1，P值均高于0.05。结论 研究结果表明，埃尔比勒的建筑工人总体上知识良好，但对个人防护装备使用的态度仅为尚可。这些结果表明，医疗服务提供者和政策制定者应实施有针对性的教育干预措施，以改善工人对个人防护装备的态度，旨在提高合规率并增强工作场所安全性。此外，这些干预措施应解决个人防护装备使用的实际障碍，如不适或难以获取。通过培养更积极的态度并确保必要资源的可获得性，建筑业的整体安全性可得到显著提高。
