Eye protection practices and symptoms among  welders in the Limpopo Province of South Africa+

Sithole, H. L.; Oduntan, Olalekan A.; Oriowo, Matthew O.

doi:10.4102/aveh.v68i3.163

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This finding is similar to finding in a study in Limpopo where 6% of the welders use sunglasses. 20 Another factor for high awareness of gloves, boot and coverall may be the fact that these PPE are not welding specific as most other artisans in the study areas use gloves, coverall and boots. These PPE are very common with Oil Field Service workers in Akwa Ibom State.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An assessment of the effect of health education on the use of personal protective equipment among small scale welders (panel beaters) in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria

Umoren

Ekanem

Johnson

et al. 2016

Int J Community Med Public Health

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Welding is an ancient profession; it is a process of joining or cutting metal parts using flame or electric arc and other sources of heat. Welding can be dangerous and unhealthy if appropriate precautions are not taken. It is associated with a lot of hazards and has been ranked as a high risk occupation based on cost related injuries. 1 There are more than 80 different types of welding and associated processes 2 but the commonest types in Nigeria are gas and electric arc welding. 2 Gas welding utilizes oxyacetylene flame while electric arc welding involves the use of electricity. 3,4 Welders ABSTRACT Background: Welding work serves as a means of livelihood for many Nigerians and welders are exposed to a variety of occupational hazards. In Nigeria, high rate of welding injuries has been reported to be due to low or non-use of PPE and this has been attributed to poor knowledge. Several studies have recommended education as a means of educating welders. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of health education intervention on PPE use among oxyacetylene welders. Methods: This is an interventional study with a control. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire from respondents selected by simple random technique, and was repeated after 3 month after health education intervention. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20, Chi-square analysis was used to determine observed differences between both groups pre-and post-intervention. Results: At pre-intervention, there were significant differences in the level of knowledge and use of some PPE between the two groups. The proportions of respondents that have knowledge of various types of PPE and used them was significantly higher in the intervention group (p<0.05). The frequency of used of PPE also increased. The main reason for non-use of PPEs were high cost and inconvenience. Conclusions: Health education brought about a significant increase in awareness and use of PPE. Regular health education needs to be given to all cadres of workers in their workplaces on the use of PPE to reduce occupational related injuries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An assessment of the effect of health education on the use of personal protective equipment among small scale welders (panel beaters) in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria

Umoren

Ekanem

Johnson

et al. 2016

Int J Community Med Public Health

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“…This is similar to the results obtained in a study conducted in Nigeria by Ihekaire who found the prevalence of eye injury among welders to be 48% [ 3 ]. However, this prevalence of is lower compared to 84.5% by Nwala in Nigeria [ 6 ], 75% by Ganesh Kumar in India [ 20 ], and 61% by Sithole in South Africa [ 21 ]. Nwala attributed the high prevalence to increasing industrialization [ 6 ], and Sithole attributed their observation to poor knowledge on the adverse effects of welding activities [ 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this prevalence of is lower compared to 84.5% by Nwala in Nigeria [ 6 ], 75% by Ganesh Kumar in India [ 20 ], and 61% by Sithole in South Africa [ 21 ]. Nwala attributed the high prevalence to increasing industrialization [ 6 ], and Sithole attributed their observation to poor knowledge on the adverse effects of welding activities [ 21 ]. The prevalence of eye injuries reported in our study could be attributed to the low use of eye PPE.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Factors Influencing Eye Injuries among Welders in Accra, Ghana

Tetteh

Owusu

Axame

2020

Advances in Preventive Medicine

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Background. Eye injuries are one of the most common work-related injuries among certain occupations, including welders. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors influencing eye injuries among welders in Accra, Ghana. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, we recruited 382 welders in Accra from two welding sites. Systematic sampling was used to select participants. A pretested semistructured questionnaire was used to collect demographic information, history of eye injuries, ownership, and use of eye protective equipment and workplace characteristics. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions at 5% level of significance were used to determine factors influencing eye injuries. Data were entered into Microsoft excel and exported to Stata 16/MP for analysis. Results. We found 59.7% of welders engaged in electric/arc welding and 40.3% in gas welding. Overall prevalence of eye injuries was 47.9%, higher among electric/arc welders (73.7%) compared to gas welders (9.7%). Factors associated with eye injuries were engaging in gas welding [AOR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.04–0.16], higher monthly income [AOR = 5.26; 95% CI: 1.72–16.09], nonuse of eye PPE while working [AOR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.02–3.43], and no training on the use of eye personal protective equipment [AOR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.07–4.38]. Conclusion. There is high prevalence of welding-related eye injuries among electric welders. Gas welding, high monthly income, nonuse of eye protective equipment, and inadequate training on the use of eye protective equipment were significantly associated with eye injuries. Health policies should be implemented to ensure all welders use eye personal protective equipment.

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“…Another important element mentioned in the national guideline on prevention of blindness in South Africa is the promotion of eye safety. Although there are no educational and preventive programmes on eye protection especially in industries that have the propensity to cause irreversible eye damage, 23 workplace eye injuries remain a common occurrence in South Africa. 24 Eye protection awareness campaigns should be initiated by relevant authorities across South Africa to eliminate avoidable eye injuries that may cause irreversible blindness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eye health promotion-oriented policy statements in various national and provincial health policy documents in South Africa

Sithole

2021

African Vision and Eye Health

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Background: There are many fragmented public health policies that give directives towards various aspects of healthcare needs and implementation. However, none of these policies make specific reference to eye health promotion (EHP) as an enabler for individuals to take control of the determinants of their eye health (EH) needs. Aim:The current study sought to identify EHP messages in the various available policy documents at both national and provincial health department levels with a view to assessing awareness on the available gaps for the development of an integrated EHP policy in South Africa. Setting:The study used documents provided by the National Department of Health and those that were available online from various other provincial Departments of Health in the country.Methods: Content analysis of EH policies requested from the Directorate of Chronic Diseases, Disabilities and Geriatrics was conducted. Various other health policies that were enacted post-1994 and endorsed by the National and Provincial Departments of Health were also considered for analysis.Results: Twenty-four documents were considered for content analysis. The national guidelines on eye healthcare made reference to EH activities such as immunisation of children, vision screening of the elderly, vitamin A supplementation and maternal services to detect sexually transmitted diseases, amongst others. Of the 20 national and provincial health documents analysed, only four made reference to EH. None of these documents made any specific reference to EHP. Conclusion:Although four national guidelines contain content related to EHP, the fragmentation and lack of integration with other health policy documents may lead to eye healthcare messages not being prioritised for dissemination even where they are highly required. Also, public eye healthcare services in general will continue to lag behind as is the case in most provinces in South Africa.

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Eye protection practices and symptoms among welders in the Limpopo Province of South Africa+

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

An assessment of the effect of health education on the use of personal protective equipment among small scale welders (panel beaters) in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria

An assessment of the effect of health education on the use of personal protective equipment among small scale welders (panel beaters) in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria

Prevalence and Factors Influencing Eye Injuries among Welders in Accra, Ghana

Eye health promotion-oriented policy statements in various national and provincial health policy documents in South Africa

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