Assessment of knowledge, safety practices, and lung function of petrol pump attendants In Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Urbanization has led to increase in use of automobiles globally, which has caused an increase in the number of fueling stations, as well as petrol pump attendants who are exposed to the volatile solvents in petrol. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, safety practices, and lung function of petrol pump attendants in Jos Metropolis, Plateau state, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using quantitative methods. Total sampling was done to select all 114 registered fueling stations in Jos metropolis. Simple random sampling was used to select 2 participants at each station giving a total of 228 participants. Data was collected and subsequently analyzed using SPSS version 23. Lung function was assessed using peak flow meters. A 95% significance level and p-value of 0.05 were used while carrying out bivariate and multivariable analysis.

Results: There was poor overall knowledge of hazards and their effects among 70.2% of the pump attendants, while 80.7% were found to have inappropriate safety practices overall. Also, 82.9% of attendants were found to have normal lung function. Multivariate analysis revealed that male pump attendants had significantly higher odds of having abnormal lung function (aOR=3.41, CI=1.61-7.24, p=0.001), and those with good knowledge of work-related hazards had 0.3 times lower odds of having abnormal lung function compared to those with poor knowledge. (aOR=0.28, CI=0.11-0.72, p=0.008).

Conclusion: Overall, knowledge was found to be poor and majority of attendants had inappropriate safety practices. Lung function was found to be abnormal in a minority of respondents. Since poor knowledge typically translates to inappropriate practices, it is therefore of paramount importance that efforts be made to sensitize the pump attendants about occupational hazards they can encounter to ensure their safety at work.