Prevalence of ocular hazard among rice mill workers in Kura Local Government Area, Kano State

Abstract

Background: Occupational health aims at the promotion and maintenance of the maximum degree of physical, mental and social well- being of workers in their employment from risk adverse to their health.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of ocular hazard among rice mill workers and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by the  participants.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional prospective study carried out on 235 workers in Kura community in Kano State. Participants  who satisfied the inclusion criteria and gave their consent were included in the study. Instrument used were: Self-structured  questionnaire and Pen torch. Participants were examined to detect a departure from normal status of the conjunctiva, cornea and ocular  adnexa. Data were stored with Microsoft excel and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Chi-Square was used to test the relationship between wearability of PPE and ocular hazards with a P value set at less than 0.05 as statistically  significant.

Result: The prevalence of ocular hazard was more in males 75.7% than in females 24.3%. The major ocular hazards suffered  by workers were penetrating injury (12.1%), followed by foreign bodies (10.3%) while pterygium 39.0% was the commonest ocular  disorders. Workers 60.34% were without knowledge of personal protective and only 18.7% made use of the personal protective  equipment.

Conclusion: We therefore suggest that public and private sectors should provide adequate personal protective equipment  for rice mill workers and enforce the wearing at work to reduce the burden of ocular hazards, affecting the wellbeing and socioeconomic  situation of workers.