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

Abstract

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.

Job Safety Analysis and Hazard Identification of Welding Process in Semarang - JSA Method AS/NZS 4360:2004

“…The form of treatment they do is to take pain relievers at night and return to work in the morning [28]. This finding also matches with the research of Karl Kafui, who reported that 47.9% of welding workers suffered injuries to their eyes due to fire sparks [29]. Another health impact is eye fatigue due to prolonged exposure to welding [30].…”

“…Factors causing work accidents in welding workers include work tool preparation behavior, welding behavior, lifting behavior, and age [3]. Potential hazards that are often found in welding workshop workers are improper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (58.1%) [8], working period of more than five years (64.9%), and 5-8 hours extended exposure to welding equipment (52.7%) [9]. The habit of being too close to the equipment in the welding process, namely less than 52 cm, also increases the risk of injury.…”

Acute Onset Isolated Abducens Paralysis After Exposure to Arc Welding

“…Pathologies in the eye occur due to UV light burns, flying metal objects, harmful metal gases, and thermal burns (1,2). As a result of exposure to metals and ultraviolet radiation, conjunctival disorders, presbyopia, refractive errors, corneal damage, and retinal pathologies can be seen in patients (3). In addition, it has been reported that the use of appropriate protective glasses during the welding process reduces the harmful effects of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation, providing a kind of mechanical protection for the eye against welding spatter and reducing the intensity of visible light (2,3).…”

“…As a result of exposure to metals and ultraviolet radiation, conjunctival disorders, presbyopia, refractive errors, corneal damage, and retinal pathologies can be seen in patients (3). In addition, it has been reported that the use of appropriate protective glasses during the welding process reduces the harmful effects of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation, providing a kind of mechanical protection for the eye against welding spatter and reducing the intensity of visible light (2,3). The patients present with complaints of tearing and pain in the eyes, blepharospasm, photophobia, and vision loss (2)(3)(4).…”

“…Welding is a process that is widely practiced in many industrial areas, the main purpose of which is to join two metals. It has known that exposure to welding is associated with many diseases, especially some of the eye injuries (1)(2)(3).…”