Knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning usage of personal protective equipment among coffee processing factory workers in Kibinge Sub County, Bukomansimbi District

Abstract

Personal protective Equipment play a pivotal role in ensuring workers safety and protection from occupational exposure and occupational injuries. Coffee processing is a vital component of the agricultural sector, employing a significant workforce worldwide and locally. Ensuring the safety and well-being of these workers is imperative, given the potential hazards associated with machinery, chemical exposures, and respiratory risks in these industries is of a great importance to the workers, the coffee processing companies and the government as well. This study investigated the current practices, knowledge and attitudes towards Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use in coffee processing, with a focus on identifying challenges, and suggesting improvements for enhanced workplace safety This was a cross-sectional study that utilized quantitative methods of data collection. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. A total of 158 coffee factory workers were interviewed with the quantitative data entered into a Kobo collect tool that shall then be transferred to STATA 14 software for univariate analysis and bivariate analysis. The majority of the coffee processing factory workers, 72.2% (114/158) were males with a mean age of 30.97 years (SD, 8.73). The majority of the workers, 107 (67.7%) had acquired at least a past injury or illness with the most common injuries or illnesses reported being breathing problems, falls, hearing defects and cuts or wounds. The study revealed a good knowledge level about PPE where masks, gloves, protective clothing and helmets being the most dominant PPE, workers had heard about. The majority of the workers had a positive attitude towards PPE use. Majority of the participants reported to exhibit good PPE use practices 87 (55.1%). Temporary workers were less likely to engage in good PPE usage practices compared to the Permanent worker participants. (COR=0.41, 95% CI= 0.20-0.84). Workers that had high knowledge on PPE use were 4.8 times more likely to engage in good PPE practices. (COR=4.83 95% CI=2.36-9.87). Similarly, workers with a negative attitude towards PPE use were less likely to comply with good PPE usage practices compared to the workers with a positive attitude.(COR=0.22 95% CI=0.11-0.43). Since the majority of the coffee processing factory workers expressed high knowledge about PPE and a positive attitude towards the use of PPE. This expressed a great need to enhance the use of PPE in coffee processing factories by employers in the factories as well as the government in enforcement of the Occupational Health Act, 2006 to ensure the use of PPE among the factory workers.