Prevalence and determinants of occupational Injuries among welders in small scale metal workshops in Wakiso District, Uganda

Abstract

Background: Injuries are a public health concern accounting for 2.78 million fatalities globally. Welders are exposed to a broad range of injuries (e.g. cuts, burns, eye injuries, skin irritations, and musculoskeletal disorders) and yet, there is paucity of information on context specific determinants to inform injury prevention and control. This study determined the factors associated with occupational injuries among welders in Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among welders in Wakiso District, Uganda. Pretested and translated questionnaires were used to collect data from 327 randomly selected respondents using face to face interviews. 2 parishes were purposively selected, and 20 metal workshops were systematically selected in each parish. Descriptive statistics and adjusted odds ratios were computed Results: A high prevalence 287 (87.8%) of self-reported occupational injuries was found among welding workers with cuts/burns 242 (84.3%) and eye injuries 180 (62.7%) reported as the most sustained injuries. Occupational injuries were associated with being a causal labourer with informal training (AOR 4.70 (2.03-10.84)) and working for longer hours (AOR 2.63 (1.26-5.51)). Those with more work experience were less likely to be involved in occupational injuries (AOR 0.30 (0.11-0.84)). Conclusions: The prevalence of occupational injuries among small-scale welding workers was high and this was associated with learning their trade at work and working for longer hours. Mitigation measures that focus on safety at workplace, advocating for capacity training, and enforcement of workplace regulations should be instituted.

Small Scale Enterprise Workers Require Attention: What Predicts the Level of Occupational Injuries?

“…29 On the other hand, our finding was greater than these reported in Northeast Ethiopia (32.6%), 10 Addis Ababa (14.7%), 22 Southern Ethiopia (31.4%), 23 Norway (31.7%), 30 Nigeria (13.5%), 31 and Brazil (5.6%). 32 However, the figure reported in the present study was lower than the study findings in Uganda (87.9%), 16 India (49.7%), 33 and Iran (75.4%). 34 These disparities might be subjected to variations in socio-economic, demographic, and behavioral characteristics of the study participants, and institutional (enterprises) setups.…”

“…Most of the previous studies conducted on occupational injuries emphasized on construction or welding industry workers which could underestimate the real level of occupational injuries recorded in small scale industries. 10 , 11 , 13 , 16 - 20 Conversely, others investigated the crude level of occupational injuries from both small scale and large scale industries. 21 , 22 …”

Knowledge, attitude and practices related to the use of personal protective equipment among welders in small-scale metal workshops in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District, Uganda

“…Available statistics indicate that there are about 21 fatalities per 100,000 workers and 16,000 accidents per 100,000 workers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This translates into 54,000 deaths and 42 million work-related accidents (ILO, 2015 ; Itiakorit, Zziwa, & Osuret, 2021 ).…”

“…Estimates by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicate that lost working time, worker’s compensation, interruption of production, and medical expenses cost 4% of the global Gross Domestic Product (roughly 2.8 trillion US dollars) (ILO, 2015 ). Despite all these negative outcomes, there is limited evidence of the burden of the problem among the more than 3 million workers whose primary occupation is welding (Husgafvel-Pursiainen & Siemiatycki, 2009 ; Itiakorit et al, 2021 ; Sabitu, Iliyasu, & Dauda, 2009b ).…”

“…The Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 also makes it mandatory for the employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees (Government of Uganda, 2006 ). However, compliance with OSH requirements has been reported to be low in small-scale industries (Itiakorit et al, 2021 ). In Uganda, small-scale industries are defined as those employing between 5 and 49 people and having total assets between UGX10 million (≈2,841 USD) but not exceeding 100 million (≈28,406 USD) (UIA, 2022 ).…”