Occupational health and safety practices among vehicle repair artisans in an urban area in Ghana

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the extent of work-related injuries and illnesses, access to first aid, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), fire safety measures and hand hygiene practices among vehicle repair artisans. Materials and Methods: Study respondents were 100 vehicle repair artisans comprising of 28 Auto mechanics, 20 electricians, 26 welders, 18 sprayers, and 8 automobile interior designers selected by simple random sampling. Semi-structured questionnaires, extensive field observations and key informant interviews were used to collect primary data in 2013/2014 and analyzed with Minitab version 16 in 2014. Results: Close to two-thirds (64%) of the artisans have sustained work-related injuries mostly resulting from cuts and burns. Respondents’ marital status (P = 0.014) and the type of work (P = 0.037) were found to be significantly associated with the incidence of physical injury, in contrast to their level of education (P = 0.874) and work experience (P = 0.203). Seventy-eight percent of the artisans lack training in fire safety and besides, basic firefighting equipment are non-existent in the workshops visited. Self-medication after injury (55%; N = 64) and ignorance in first aid administration (92%) are common among the artisans. Further, due to the physical exertions required by their work, most artisans (N = 57) experience musculoskeletal disorders. Use of PPE (27%) and proper hand hygiene practices (28%; N = 98) are generally ignored by the artisans posing possible health risks. Conclusions: Vehicle repair workers need to be educated on the dangers associated with their work and the best practices to be adopted to curb or forestall these risks.