Risk Assessment of Physio-Mechanical Hazards and Utilization of Personal Protective Equipment Among Welders in Kut City, Iraq

Abstract

This study was conducted to quantify the physical and mechanical hazards in welding shops and assess the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in these environments. The cross-sectional field survey took place in 10 welding shops selected by appropriate sampling methods from Kut city of Wasit Governorate, Iraq, and collected environmental measurements regarding temperature, humidity, and noise levels. All welders experienced hazardous levels of noise, humidity, and temperature. Electrical shock was experienced by 87.2% of welders, and 20.5% were exposed to fire. The temperature levels ranged between 38–41°C with 10–13% humidity. The heat index was a moderate 35–38° C in all welding shops, and the reported noise levels were unacceptably high. All of the work is manual labor. This assessment revealed that welders are regularly exposed to various mechanical and physical hazards and the use of PPE among them is very low, despite it being vital to their protection from hazards and prevention of accidents.

Keywords

• Noise
• Heat index
• Humidity
• Welding
• PPE