Assessment of Occupational Injuries and Safety Practices among Automobile Repair Artisans in Apo and Gudu Area of Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Globally, the protection of workers against occupation-associated hazards and morbidities has been a momentous public health issue. This paper assessed the occupational injuries and safety practices among automobile repair artisans in Abuja, Nigeria. 
Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey involving 400 automobile repair artisans working at the mechanic village of Apo and Gudu area of Abuja, Nigeria. A pre-tested structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess respondents’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on occupational injuries and safety. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 and Chi-square was employed to test associations between categorical variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. 
Results: The mean respondents’ age was 31.2 ± 1.6years. A large proportion, 314(78.5%) of the respondents had sustained various forms of occupational injuries. The survey revealed that 228(57.0%) respondents had a good erudition of occupational injuries and the majority 320(80.0%) of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards safety measures. However, only 128(32.0%) respondents complied with safety practices. Bivariate analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between respondents’ socio-demographic variables (marital status, ethnicity, and age group) and self-reported previous occurrence of injury at the workplace. 
Conclusion: Although respondents had good knowledge of occupational injuries and a positive attitude towards safety measures, they displayed poor compliance with safety rules and practices. Hence, routine health education on occupation-related hazards and safety should be put in place for automobile repair artisans.