Design, development and preliminary results of a questionnaire on chemical risk in construction
Keywords:
self-administered questionnaire, chemical risk, PPE, risk perception, construction workers.Abstract
Construction is a potential source of occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals, given the presence on site of solvents, adhesives, bitumen, processing waste, as well as of substances related to the green building sector, many of these identified as emerging risks by several studies. This paper describes the design, the development and the data analysis of a questionnaire on chemical risk in the building sector, with particular attention to the use of the related PPE. The self-compiling questionnaire consists of twenty questions divided into four sections. For most of the answers a Likert scale was used, with five possible answer alternatives for the list of items submitted to the respondents, while the score 0 and 1 was used for the dichotomous questions. The data obtained from a sample of 92 workers were processed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics software for both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The majority of respondents (87%) reported awareness of the importance of the use of PPE, whose use would not seem influenced by subjective respondents’ characteristics (age, education, experience); we found, instead, statistically differences regarding the importance attributed to training, which turned out to be greater for more experienced workers (Wilcoxon test, p<0.05). It is necessary to implement the sample size with the aim to notice any statistical differences attributable to the workers’task and therefore to their specific training, as well as associations between occupational diseases and lack or inadequate use of PPE. Providing valuable information about the level of perception of chemical risk, the degree of confidence in the correct and conscious use of PPE and the good practices to be adopted before, during and after their use, the survey presented in this study can represent a useful tool for the planning of effective training programs for the health protection of construction workers exposed to chemical risk.
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