Use of Personal Protective Equipment among Building Construction Workers in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Background 270 million workplace accidents occur annually. In Uganda, Kampala district has the highest workplace injury and fatality rates. However, information on personal protective equipment (PPE)—hand gloves, hardhats, overalls, safety boots, earplugs, safety harness with lanyard, and face shields—utilization among building construction workers remains scarce. We assessed PPE utilization and determinants among building construction workers in Kampala, Uganda. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 385 respondents. Data collected by structured questionnaire was double-entered in EpiData and analyzed in STATA at 5% significance level. Independent determinants of PPE use were established by a stepwise backward logistic regression analysis. Results 305 (79.2%) respondents were males, 290 (75.3%) were 18–30 years, 285 (74.0%) completed secondary education, and 197 (51.2%) were temporary employees. 60 (15.6%) respondents used PPE. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.64; 95% CI: 1.55–28.46; P = 0.011), temporary (AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.27; P < 0.001) and casual (AOR = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.001–0.071; P < 0.001) employment, and previous knowledge of safety measures (AOR = 100.72; 95% CI: 26.00–390.16; P < 0.001) were associated with PPE use. Conclusion PPE use was low in Kampala, Uganda. Building construction companies should implement measures of the Uganda Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems and Their Compliance among Petrol Stations in Kenya: A Case Study in Nakuru County

“…Though, majority of the respondents had stated that PPE were provided by employer, the low usage [18] was attributed by the fact that their availability were only "on need basis" thus worn during offloading which was considered to be hazardous. The findings are in agreement with another study [19] where PPE use was low (15.6%). It is likely that both employers and workers lack adequate information on the role of different PPEs in reducing exposure to volatile compounds which are generated and released nearly in all the petrol station operations.…”

The epidemiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung diseases at risk of a progressive-fibrosing phenotype

“…China, Brazil, South Africa) but is also an important health concern in Europe and the USA [81]. Manual workers in low-or middle-income countries often forego the use of control measures such as personal protective equipment, and this could be a contributor to the differences observed between countries [84][85][86]. Silicosis was first reported in South African gold miners in the early 1900s, and South Africa now has one of the highest rates of silicosis worldwide [87].…”

Compliance of the Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Workers

“…This condition resulted in increased cases of injury and workplace accidents. Factors related to the use of PPE for construction workers were gender (women used PPE with pvalue = 0.001), form of work (not fixed with p-value = 0.005), and prior knowledge of work safety (p-value = 0.001) [6]. This study focused on observing the use of PPE for crew members, which was different from previous studies: the study revealed the causes of non-compliant phenomena in using PPE so that solutions could be made and provided to improve the compliance of ship crew members in using PPE.…”