PREVALENCE AND STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE OCCUPATIONAL OCULAR INJURIES AMONG SAWMILL WORKERS IN ABAKALIKI, NIGERIA

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Abstrakt

Occupational Ocular Injuries (OOIs) are common among sawmill workers. Many of these injuries are preventable through the use of protective eyewear. Unfortunately, safety goggle use among sawmill workers in informal industrial settings as obtained in Nigeria remains poor. The study examined how frequently OOIs occurred among sawmill workers in Linus Edeh Memorial Timber Shed Abakaliki, Nigeria and evaluated the outcome of a multifaceted approach to improve safety goggle compliance and reduce OOIs among the workers. The perceived effectiveness of the individual strategies and barriers to sustained use of safety goggles among the sawmill workers were also determined. The study employed a prospective interventional study design using purposive sampling. Two hundred and fifty sawmill workers selected from the Linus Edeh Memorial Timber Shed Abakaliki, Nigeria, who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. These participants were provided with standard safety goggles, received structured training on safety and were followed up for three months with weekly reminders to use protective eyewear using SMS, safety signposts and a monthly visit to the sawmill. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information on awareness, safety practices, and occupational ocular injuries, and were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Following the intervention, compliance with safety goggle use significantly improved (64.8%) and incidence of OOIs remained minimal at 8.4%. Participants reported positive perceptions of safety interventions, with 30.4% (n=76) finding them effective, particularly, the provision of safety goggles (74%) and safety training (57.6%) Major barriers reported included discomfort, fogging, forgetfulness and inconsistent enforcement. Sustained injury prevention in sawmills requires an integrated approach

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