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Abstract SUMMARY Sewage workers exposed to varieties of hazards in the occupational environment which may cause various diseases, these are related to physical condition such as temperature, humidity, noise, light & chemical agents in the form of vapors, fumes, droplets, gases, unsafe, unprotected machines & technical equipment responsible for causing accidents. Hence, the aims of the present study were to assess the prevalence of occupational health hazards among workers in El–Beheira wastewater stations and to identify the determinants of occupational health problems among sewage workers in El-Beheira governorate. A cross sectional descriptive design was adopted to carry out this study. The study was carried out in all sewage water treatment stations in 14 Administrate centers in El-Beheira governorate which including 32 stations. The present study sample included a total of 400 sewage workers who have experience of not less than 1-year permanent workers and selected by using convenience sample technique from the different selected sewage stations. Tools for data collection Three tools were used by the researcher in order to collect the necessary data from the workers. Tool (I): Sewage Workers Structural Interview Questionnaire It included four parts: Part I: Socio-demographic characteristics it was used to assess personal data of workers. Part II: working profile it was used to assess the occupational data. Part III: Workers’ occupational hazards knowledge structured interview sheet. It was to assess workers knowledge regarding occupational hazards, safety and personal protective devices and their source of knowledge. Tool II: Observational Summary 149 checklist of sewage workers regarding safety and health at work. It was used to assess the occupational health hazards. Tool (III): Workplace stress scale used to assess job stress levels. The tools were tested for validity and reliability. The main results of this study composed of the following: Part (I): Profile of Workers in Sewage Stations Personal data More than one third of the sewage workers (35.3 %) aged from 50<60 years, while 12.2 % of them aged from 20 <30. approximately two thirds of workers (66.5%) were married, more than half of them (52.2%) had preparatory education and only (3.3%) of them were obtained university education. More than half (53.5%) of sewage workers were living in urban areas, and more than one third (34.2%) of workers lived in family include of 5 to less than 7 members. Work profile More than half (58.8%) of the sewage workers had experience of 15 years or more, the majority of study workers (86.4%) hadn’t enough income to meet the demands of their lives. Less than two thirds (63.5%) of the study workers stated that they were using the public transportation. Less than three quarters (71.5%) of the study workers were working 8 hours per day and more than three quarters (77%) of the study workers were working in alternated work schedule. More than two thirds (67.9%) from those who were absent from work, absent more than 5 days during the last 6 months due to illness. Occupational safety More than half (58.5%) of the study workers had health insurance. Summary 150 Nearly three quarters (73.5%) of workers attend training program while, more than one quarter (26.5%) of workers didn’t attend or participate in any occupational health programs. The majority of the sewage workers (90.2%) didn’t have health clinic in the stations and slightly two thirds (64.2%) of workers didn’t receive any vaccine. Worker’s health-related data: More than one third (40.2%) of workers suffering from chronic diseases. More than half (51.2%) of study workers suffering from previous infectious disease. from those, more than half (50.2%) of workers infected with hepatitis C viral, while, more than one quarter (28.8%) were infected with covid19, and more than fifth (21%) of them suffering from Tuberculosis (TB). As regards to work accidents, less than half (42%) of them were exposed to previous work accidents. The same percent of those (48.2%) were experienced of fracture and wounds. more than half (55.4%) of the study workers were got hurt of hands, more than one quarter (26.8%) of them were got hurt of feet. In relation to causes of experienced work accidents, more than three quarters (80.4%) of workers reported that they didn’t use PPE, and about half (46.4%) of workers not follow occupational safety instructions. Workers Current health problems Majority of workers 391 (97.8%) had current health complaint and minority 9 (2.2%) of them hadn’t health problems. Concerning respiratory problems of workers, more than two thirds (69.3%) of workers had respiratory problems, from those, about two thirds (61.3%) suffering from dyspnea, less than two thirds (63.8%) of workers suffering Summary 151 from cough and the majority of workers (90.8%) suffering from sputum. All respiratory problems of workers increase by exposure to allergens as chemicals, gases and smoking. In relation to musculoskeletal problems the study showed, more than one quarter (26.6%) suffering from musculoskeletal complains. from those, three quarters (75%) of workers suffering from low back pain, also half (50%) of workers had hand pain and more than half (56.7%) of workers were suffering from shoulder pain. The prevalence of auditory problems was more than one quarter (27.1%) of workers. About one third (30.2%) of them were suffering from ear pain. The prevalence of skin problems was the majority (96.2%) of sewage workers, also less than half (42.3%) of workers had effects of chemicals on their skin and the majority of workers (98.5%) were using chemical substances in their work. less than half (43.5%) of workers were suffering from vision problems, In relation to neurological problems about one third (32.5%) of workers were suffering from neurological problems. from those, majorities (95.3%) of them were suffering from headache. Nearly one quarter (24.8%) of workers were suffering from vascular problems, from those, less than half (43.3%) of workers were suffering from tachycardia and more than three quarters (76.3%) of workers were suffering from varicose veins. More than half (58.8%) of workers were suffering from gastro-intestinal problems. from those, less than quarter (18.7%) of them were suffering from abdominal distention, more than two thirds (67.4%) of them were suffering Summary 152 from constipation, and more than tenth (10.4%) of them were suffering from diarrhea. Worker’s lifestyle More than half (59.5%) of workers didn’t practicing exercises. More than one tenth of them (11.2%) had presence of sleeping problems. As regards to types of sleeping problems, less than half (42.2%) of workers suffering from insomnia. The majority of workers (91.8%) didn’t perform regular checkup. Nearly two thirds (64.5%) of workers were smokers. from those, one third (33.5%) were smoking cigarettes and less than one third of them (31%) were consume of shisha. Nearly two thirds of workers were obese and overweight (36% - 35.4%) respectively. Part II: Occupational Safety Nearly three quarters (71.3%) of sewage workers reported unavailability of personal protective equipment at their sewage stations. More than two thirds (70.5%) of studied workers had poor level of occupational health knowledge score, and less than one third (29.5%) of them had fair level of occupational health knowledge. More than two thirds (65%) of workers had exposure to severe chemical hazard and more than half (56.3%) had exposure to severe biological hazards. Part (III): Workplace stress level More than half (53.2%) of workers had sever level of stress. Also, more than one quarter (27.5%) of them have very severed level of stress. Part (IV): Determinants of occupational health problems Summary 153 The multi regression analysis revealed that there were significant associations between workplace occupational hazards and age, income, number of family members, years of experience, absents from work, presence of health clinic at workplace, health insurance, previous infectious diseases, regular station checkup, total workers’ knowledge, and total fatigue. Also, the present study showed that there was significant association between stress and exposure to occupational health hazards. Based on the findings in this study, the following recommendation could be made: Regular implementation of health education & training programs for workers about environmental safety, health hazards and problems related to sewage treatment plant and first aid. Proper use and maintenance of personal protective equipment. Encourage workers for self-protection measures that go hands –in – hands and use PPE and encourage regular investigation and treatment. Enrich the knowledge of workers regarding prevention of health problems, protection from health issues and promotion of their health. Health guidance programs should be conducted for both the workers and the relevant authorities regarding occupational health hazards and its prevention. International standard occupational health and safety assessment series in sewage treatment plant to improve occupational health and safety performance of the workers and emphasizing on the importance and usefulness of personal protective equipment to be used in the right way. |