ABSTRACT

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is any material, device, equipment or clothing used or  worn by workers to protect them from exposure or contact with any harmful material or energy which may cause injury, disease or even death. The study assessed utilization of PPE among workers in grain and oil seed milling industries in Nairobi City County. Despite the benefits of using PPE, little information has been documented especially among workers in the food industries not only in Kenya but globally .The study adopted a cross sectional descriptive design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select Nairobi City County. Simple random sampling was used to select 3 industries that were included in the study. Random sampling technique was also used to select a sample of 342 workers from the selected industries. Questionnaires and observation checklists were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data which was analyzed using SPSS version 20 and the results presented in form of graphs, figures, frequency tables and narration. Chi- square was used to test the research hypothesis at p<0.05 significance level. The study results showed that majority of workers in these industries were below 35 years (59.9%), who were male (57.49%), married (72.9%), and with secondary school education (36.3%). Approximately (45.1%) of workers confirmed having suffered various forms of injuries .The occupational injuries experienced by the workers vary with demographics with cuts being the most prevalent injury (40.3%), followed by abrasions (31.2%), with burns being least prevalent (6.6%). Generally, male workers below 35 years of age dominated the injury cases with head, arms, legs, and chest emerging to be the body parts most affected. The injuries were most caused by body stress and knocks by objects. Majority of the workers (73%) confirmed to have suffered occupational illnesses with occupational asthma (23%) and skin dermatitis (18%) dominating. Less than half of the workers (45.1%) were found to be using PPE. Hand gloves, dust masks and overall were the types of PPE mostly used by workers in preventing injuries and illness. The factors that emerged to significantly influence PPE use included acceptability, availability, attractive and not using PPE despite being trained and aware of the hazard. There was no significant relationship between lack of coworker/supervisor influence to use of PPE and social demographics. It is recommended that employers and other stakeholder intensify their roles on PPE policy guidelines, training and awareness campaigns, compliance surveillance on PPE use by all workers in these industries as well as ensure a safe working environment. Employers should ensure that PPE are available, accessible, well fitting and comfortable to wear and that they are used appropriately and consistently by the workers at all times. Ministry of labour and its partners should carry out capacity building for staff in these industries to enable them provide more PPE and hence increase its utilization