Knowledge of Workers about their Occupational Hazards at Sugarcane Factory in Luxor Governorate

Maky, Mariam Farrag; Hassan, Asmaa; Osman, Safaa R.

doi:10.21608/asnj.2020.28865.1014

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…As the dust can penetrate beyond the extrathoracic regions, staying in an area with a high dust concentration for a longer duration is responsible for respiratory problems. Our findings were inconsistent with previous studies conducted in India,13 18 54 Croatia,5 Brazil,55–58 Japan,59 Thailand60 and Central America,61 that reported a lower prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms. This disparity in symptom prevalence could be explained by differences in dust exposure level, duration of exposure, knowledge of the workers, and access to respiratory protection devices.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the absence of respiratory protection gear and ventilation have been reported to enhance dust exposure 12. Likewise, workers' lack of awareness raised their chances of being exposed to harmful substances and experiencing negative health effects 5 13. Exposure to hazards are also further increased by working more than 48 hours per week, lack of safety training and the failure to use personal protective equipment 14.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bagasse dust exposure and chronic respiratory symptoms among workers in the Metehara and Wonji sugar factories in Ethiopia: a longitudinal study design

et al. 2023

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BackgroundEthiopia’s sugar factories are growing by creating job opportunities for thousands of workers with varying educational, professional and socioeconomic backgrounds. These sugar factories are a source of several hazards that severely harm the workers’ health. In this context, there is inconclusive evidence on the level of bagasse dust exposure and chronic respiratory health symptoms. This study aimed to assess the degree of bagasse dust exposure and chronic respiratory health symptoms.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, five workstations were selected for dust sampling. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1043 participants. We measured the dust intensity using a calibrated handheld real-time dust monitor once a month for 5 months, totalling 50 dust samples. Chronic respiratory symptoms were assessed using the American Thoracic Society’s respiratory symptoms questionnaire.ResultsA 1 hour time-weighted average of bagasse dust intensity in the boiler, power turbine and evaporation plant was 8.93 mg/m3, 8.88 mg/m3and 8.68 mg/m3, respectively. This corresponded to an exposure level to bagasse dust of 85.52% (95% CI 83.2% to 87.6%). The level of chronic respiratory health symptoms was 60.6% (95% CI 59.2% to 61.9%). The most common respiratory symptoms were wheezing (96.8%), coughing (89.7%) and breathlessness (80.9%). The identified risk factors were lack of dust control technology (β= 0.64, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.75), not practising wet spray (β = 0.27, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.41) and not wearing proper respiratory protection devices (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.56).ConclusionsBagasse dust exposure and respiratory health abnormalities were worrying concerns. The absence of dust control technologies and no practice of wet spraying elevated the level of exposure. Not wearing proper respiratory protection gear increased the odds of having respiratory abnormalities. Hence, the use of mechanical solutions to stop dust emissions at their sources and the wearing of proper respiratory protection gear are highly advised.

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