Occupational Risk Perception and the Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): A Study Among Informal Automobile Artisans in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Informal workers in developing countries are exposed to various occupational hazards that may cause accidents, injuries, or diseases. Personal protective equipment (PPE) can be an essential tool for preventing workers from exposure to these hazards. Despite the widely acknowledged benefits of PPE usage, many informal automobile artisans in Nigeria do not use PPE. This study examines factors that predict PPE usage among these artisans, particularly their occupational risk perception. This cross-sectional study adopted a multistage method to select 632 automobile artisans (mechanics, panel beaters, painters, and vulcanizers) in Osun State, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on the dependent variable (the use of PPE) and the independent variables (occupational risk perception and risk tolerance). STATA 14 was used for the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Workers who perceive themselves at high risk of occupational health problems are more likely to use PPE (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, p = .03), as are those who are very worried about getting accidents/illnesses (OR = 2.6, p = .03) or believe that these health problems are preventable (OR = 2.3, p = .01). Contrary to expectation, workers who experienced accidents/illnesses in the past are less likely to use PPE (OR = 0.3, p = .00) than those who did not. The established positive relationship between occupational risk perception and PPEs’ usage provides information to various stakeholders for designing safety programs that can reduce exposure to the occupational risks for informal automobile artisans in Nigeria.