Responsiveness of Occupational Health Risk and Preventive Measures Practice by the Workers Employed in Tannery Occupation in Kanpur, India

Abstract

Background: Occupational health covers all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. There are several health risks, such as respiratory problems, injuries/accidents, musculoskeletal disorders, cancers, mental health disorders, skin ailments, infectious diseases, and many more involved in the occupation, which exclusively depends on workplace conditions. Objectives: The objective of the study was to understand the extent of awareness about occupational health risks involved in tannery occupation and adopted preventive measures by the tannery workers of Kanpur, India. Methods: Information for the present research was strained from a cross-sectional household study of tannery workers in the Jajmau area of Kanpur, India. The survey was piloted through the period January-June 2015, and 284 samples were collected. This study has adopted a three-stage sampling design. The frequency distribution and cross-tabulation were used. The difference in the awareness of various morbidities was tested using the chi-square test. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify individual risk factors. Results: The prevalence of awareness of tannery work is very hazardous in nature varies from 73% to 93% among the tannery workers. Tannery workers having a middle-school level of education were 3.01 times more likely to be aware of the hazards as compared to the illiterate workers. Tannery workers aged 36 and above were 0.34 times were 0.58 times less likely to aware of a hazardous work environment. Tannery workers who belong to the younger cohort (16-24 years) reported a higher awareness of respiratory problems (38%), skin complaints (59%), and gastrointestinal issues (21%) than those aged 36 years and above. About one-third of Beamhouse workers (33%) and over a quarter (26%) of the wet finishing had moderate to high dermal contact with the chemicals. The highest use of gloves and masks is seen in Beamhouse work (12 & 13%). Conclusions: The outcomes of the study give a clear indication of the effect of the workstation environment on the health status of workers and require the use of adequate measures to improve the facilities and thereby the health status of tannery workers.