BRIDGING THE SAFETY GAP: EVALUATING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF TRAINING AND VENTILATION ON PPE COMPLIANCE AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG WELDERS IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

This paperassessed the personal protective equipment (PPE) use among welders in Delta State, Nigeria, and assessed the impact of safety training and the mediating role between ventilation conditions and occupational health outcomes. The quasi-experimental design was implemented that used 200 welders in experimental and control groups. The PPE compliance checklist and occupational health outcome scale were used to collect data. ANCOVA, difference-in-differences, and mediation techniques were used to analyze the results. Results showed that there was poor baseline PPE use in welders. The experimental group had a higher level of PPE compliance than the control group due to safety training. Moreover, safety training partly mediated the association between ventilation conditions and health outcomes which means that behavioural interventions complement the effectiveness of environmental controls. The research came to the conclusion that workplace safety training should be combined with better working conditions in order to minimize workplace risks. It proposed training programmes, which are well organized and enhanced ventilation systems to enhance sustainable occupational health activities among the welders.