Knowledge, attitude and practice related to chemical hazards and personal protective equipment among particleboard workers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Work in the wood industry is often associated with exposure to wood dust and formaldehyde. The aims of this study were to describe the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) concerning chemical health hazards among particleboard workers and to compare the KAP among temporary and permanent workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data by structured questionnaires in two particleboard factories in Ethiopia. A total of 159 workers and 13 management personnel participated in this study. Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were included in the interviews. Chi-square tests, T tests and correlation analyses were used for categorical and continuous data. Total knowledge score (range 0-8) was calculated as the sum score of 8 items weighing one point each. Multiple linear regression was applied to estimate the impact of employment status on total knowledge score adjusted for level of education. Content analysis was applied to analyse collected data from open-ended questions. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 28 (SD = 6) years and on average they had 3.7 [3] years of service. The permanent workers were older than the temporary workers (29 vs 26 years, p = 0.001), and a considerably high fraction of the permanent workers had vocational education (90%) compared to the temporary workers (11%). Permanent workers had higher proportion of response on knowledge of 10 of 12 topics regarding chemical hazards and attitudes on 6 of 11 of these topics than temporary workers. Permanent workers had higher knowledge scores (3.7) compared to temporary workers (1.3) (p < 0.001), also after adjusting for education (p = 0.011). Permanent workers were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) while temporary workers were not. The qualitative data helps to understand the workers and administrative personnel attitude and thinking regarding chemical hazards and PPE. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed that permanent workers have higher proportion of positive response on knowledge and attitude towards chemical health hazards than temporary workers. However, practice in use of PPE depended on access to PPE. Few temporary workers were provided with PPE.

Gastrointestinal illness among contract construction workers at a chicken processing facility-Minnesota, 2016.

BACKGROUND: After Campylobacter infection was reported in a contract construction worker (contractor) at a chicken processing facility, we described the illness and determined illness associations with workforce exposure. METHODS: Case finding was conducted by reportable disease surveillance and contractor interviews. A case was defined as either diarrhea and fever, or diarrhea lasting ≥3 days during January-September, 2016. RESULTS: Fourteen cases were identified among 74 contractors interviewed; four were laboratory-confirmed (two Campylobacter, two Salmonella). Cases were more likely to perform electrical work (odds ratio [OR] 10.4, P < 0.001), take breaks in unofficial areas (OR 6.4, P = 0.01), bring drinks into work areas (OR 4.2, P = 0.02), and have contact with poultry fluids (OR 6.4, P = 0.03). Only 23 (31%) contractors reported infectious disease prevention training. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak emphasizes the importance of training contractors for all potential hazards. Host employers and staffing agencies share responsibility for contractor safety.

Inequality in workplace support for various types of precarious workers compared with permanent workers in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine, by sex, whether precarious workers in Japan receive less support in the workplace than permanent workers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire in 2022. We stratified participants by sex and performed modified Poisson regression analysis. The outcomes were support from supervisors, co-workers, occupational health professionals, and no one. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were calculated for contract workers, part-time workers, and dispatched workers, using permanent workers as reference. RESULTS: This study had 21 047 participants. For men, 87.9% were permanent workers; for women, 50.7% were permanent workers and 37.3% were part-time workers. For workplace support, 47.5% of men and 45.2% of women selected superiors; 41.8% of men and 50.5% of women selected colleagues; 16.8% of men and 6.2% of women selected occupational health professionals. Female contract workers were less likely to receive support from their supervisors (aPR 0.88) or co-workers (aPR 0.89). Male part-time workers were less likely to be supported by their co-workers (aPR 0.86). Dispatched workers were less likely to be supported by their supervisors (men aPR 0.71, women aPR 0.84) and co-workers (men aPR 0.73, women aPR 0.77). Part-time and dispatched workers were less likely to receive support from occupational health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Precarious workers could get less workplace support than permanent workers. This may contribute to occupational health problems with precarious workers.

Temporary Workers' Skipping of Meals and Eating Alone in South Korea: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2013-2016.

Available evidence suggests that social disadvantages are inextricably linked to unhealthy eating behaviors. Given that temporary workers face insecure employment and uncertainty in their work's terms and conditions, issues relevant to maintaining healthy eating behavior are likely to be affected. This study investigated the association between temporary employments and, specifically, the status and frequency of meal skipping and of eating alone among temporary and permanent Korean workers. We used data from the 2013-2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 5912 working people were included as the study population. We classified them as temporary workers (n = 3036) and permanent workers (n = 2876). Eating behaviors included meal skipping and eating alone. The rate and frequency of meal skipping and eating alone were higher in temporary workers. After adjustment for potential confounders, the likelihoods for temporary workers' skipping lunch was twice as high (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.45-2.63) as for permanent workers. In particular, temporary workers had four-fold-increased odds (OR = 4.12, 95% CI 2.29-7.41) of eating alone three times per day relative to permanent workers. We found that temporary workers were more likely to skip meals and eat alone than were permanent workers.

Health Promotion at the Construction Work Site: The Lunch Truck Pilot Study.

The transient nature of construction work makes it difficult to conduct longitudinal worksite-based health promotion activities. As part of a workplace health assessment pilot study, we worked with a commercial lunch truck company to disseminate four types of health education materials including cancer screening, workplace injury prevention, fruit and vegetable consumption, and smoking cessation to construction workers purchasing food items from the truck during their job breaks. Two weeks following the worksite assessment, we followed up with these workers to ascertain their use of the health promotion materials. Of the 54 workers surveyed, 83% reported reviewing and sharing the cancer screening materials with their families, whereas 44% discussed the cancer screening materials with coworkers. Similar proportions of workers reviewed, shared, and discussed the other health promotion materials with their family. Lunch trucks may be an effective strategy and delivery method for educating construction workers on healthy behaviors and injury prevention practices.