| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: Construction work is one of the leading sources of occupational injuries and fatalities worldwide. Injuries are more prevalent in construction industry than in other industries due to the many hazardous operations involved in construction work. In Uganda, efforts to improve health and safety at construction sites are still largely lacking and poorly implemented. This study was therefore aimed at establishing the factors that influence the occurrence of occupational injuries among building construction workers in Mukono Municipality.
Methods: This was a cross sectional study that employed quantitative data collection methods. The data was collected from 205 respondents using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Data entry was performed using EpiData manager, cleaned and analyzed using STATA version 13. Proportions, measures of central tendency and measures of variations were used to describe variables summarized in tables and pie charts.
Results: The mean age of the construction workers was 25 years. Majority, 96.1% of the workers were male. Less than half, 46.8% had suffered an occupational injury at their site, with cut wounds being the commonest injuries. Almost of a half (45.4%) of the respondents reported to have had physical capabilities assessed before being offered their jobs, 44.4% had health and safety training.
Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of occupational injuries mainly resulting into cut wounds. Majority of the building construction workers never had health and safety training concerning their work designation which made them liable to suffering from injuries.
Recommendations: Local authorities should ensure enforcement of legislation through regular inspections. Building contractors should ensure the workers are provided with appropriate safety and health training, ensure enforcement of safety precautions by employees and also provide them with required PPE. | en_US |
