To assess the prevalence of occupational health related risks and use of safety measures among employees in Bralirwa processing industries in Rwanda

Background: Worldwide, occupational health related injuries have become potential public health issue leading to disability and death causing abandonment of work. Rwanda is one developing country which is at risk of having work related injuries due to the fact that its industrial economy is growing at a very fast rate which has attracted many investors in industrial sector. Objective: • To assess the prevalence of occupational health related risks and • To asses use of safety measures among employees in Bralirwa processing industries in Kigali Rwanda and • To specifically identify the types of occupational health related risks faced by the brewery employees, • To establish the occupational safety measures used by the brewery employees. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study design carried out in Bralirwa processing industries in Kigali Rwanda from August to October 2012. This study employed mainly quantitative methods of data collection. A sample of 220 respondents was selected. Quantitative data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and observational check list. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 and Stata soft ware computer packages. The study findings were summarized using proportions, percentages, frequencies and presented tabular format and figures. Results: Majority 72.7% (160/220) of the respondents were male. Half 50% (110/220) of the respondents were in the age range of 31-45 years. The findings indicated that 86.4% (190/220) of the respondents reported having suffered from occupational health related injuries. Conclusion: More than three quarters of the respondents reported having suffered from occupational health related injuries and these were physical injuries like falls, cuts and electrocutions and ergonomic related risks like fractures and dislocations.  Recommendations: The industry management should organize training and sensitization programs for the employees, hold regular meetings with employees to discuss on a number of health and safety issues.