Prevalence of occupational disorders in low socio-economic manual stone crushers and healthcare seeking behaviour among quarry workers in North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Manual stone crushing is an established small-scale industry in Northern Nigeria with workers exposed to several hazards that place them at high risk of several medical conditions.  The study aimed to describe health-related conditions of manual stone crushers in North Central Nigeria through a cross-sectional study.  Workers were selected using a multistage sampling technique with 151 participants. Information on demographic and work-related profiles was obtained and analyzed using SPPS-23. Male participants were 63.6% while females were 36.4%. The mean age of respondents was 34.2 ± 13.9 years. Children workers made up 12% of the population. All respondents (100%) had experienced at least one work-related health condition; mostly respiratory (51.0%), musculoskeletal (44.4%), and cutaneous (43.7%) systems. Common health complaints included headaches (62.3%), cough (54.3%), back pain (51.0%), and chest pain (50.3%). Longer working hours was associated with multiple system affectation (p=0.030). Over half of the respondents accessed public/private hospitals for health aid, while about 10% engaged in self-medication or traditional treatment. Manual stone crushers in Northcentral Nigeria are exposed to hazards that place them at high health risk conditions that affect their body systems. Manual stone crushing needs more organization to increase attention with regards to healthcare in terms of personal protection and management of health conditions. Key words: Health conditions, quarrying industry, cross-sectional study, labour-intensive job, health-seeking behavior, North-Central Nigeria.