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Author
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Kurotwi, Alice
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Title
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Assessing the awareness of occupational hazards and application of safety measures among welders at marimba industrial cluster, harare
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Abstract
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Workplaces are essential environments for humans, and it is necessary to promote safe work practices. However, workplaces are laden with different hazards which workers are exposed to daily with varied consequences, such as ill-health, injuries or death. Welding is one occupation associated with hazards such as electric shock, fumes, and noise. As such, the study investigated the knowledge and adherence to safety and health procedures among small-scale welders in the Marimba Industrial Cluster. A cross-sectional research design with aid of questionnaires, observations and interviews with key informants was employed to gather data on hazards and personal protective equipment usage among small-scale welders. The study respondents were mostly males (82.9 %), in the 21-40 years’ age class (58.5%). In addition, 68.3% attained ordinary level education, and over 50% of the respondents had 1-5 years working experience, attaining their welding education through apprenticeship (56.1%). The most known welding hazards were dust (100%), noise (78%), and fire and explosion (65.9%) whereas asphyxiation (34.1%) and vibration (39%) were the least known welding hazards. The most frequently used personal protective equipment were safety goggles (80.5%), safety boots (70.7%) and face shield (58.5%), and these were used for at least 4 to 7 days per week. The sociodemographic factors that significantly influenced awareness on welding hazards and related health among small-scale welders were age class (X2 = 9.6014; p = 0.0451), educational level (X2 = 10.3064; p = 0.0233), welding education (X2 = 12.0531; p = 0.0331) and work experience (X2 = 15.3667; p = 0.0175). Respondents that were aged above 21 years, and those who attained tertiary education had better awareness. Also, those with more than 5 years working experience, and apprenticeship trained were more knowledgeable on were welding hazards and related health. From the study findings it can be recommended that supervisors should ensure their welders abide to safety measures, whereas safety equipment and clothing should be readily available and accessible at all welding workstations. In addition, regulatory authorities should focus more on small-scale industries and enforce occupational health and safety regulations, whilst occupational health and safety training programs should be regularly implemented among welders to increase awareness and reduce occupational accidents and incidents
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Date
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JUNE 2023
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Publisher
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BUSE
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Keywords
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Awareness, ,Personal protective equipment, Welders, Occupational hazards, Marimba Industrial Cluster, Safety measures, Harare
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Supervisor
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Dr. Mabhungu
Kurotwi - SHEM.pdf