Occupational Health Knowledge and Safety Practice Among Hydropower Construction Workers in Nepal: A Cross-Sectional...

The construction sector in Nepal has expanded considerably, accompanied by various occupational health risks due to inadequate knowledge and safety protocols. This study evaluated the knowledge and safety practices of Construction workers working at a hydropower construction site.

A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Tanahun hydropower construction site in Tanahun among 316 participants using simple random sampling. Data was collected through face-to-face interview using the semi structure questionnaire. The descriptive and inferential statistics were performed through SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between variables, where variables with variance inflation factor less than 2 were included in multivariable analysis. The variables with p-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant at 95% confidence interval.

The study showed that 65% and 64% of the participants exhibited adequate knowledge and good practice of safety protocols, respectively. The prevalence of various health issues such as skin infections (27.8%), musculoskeletal problems (21.5%) and electric shocks (14.6%), were notably high among workers. Adequate knowledge was significantly correlated with a higher level of educational attainment (AOR = 4.73, 95% CI, 1.78-12.41), and an absence of a history of musculoskeletal disorders (AOR = 9.59, 95%, CI, 3.49-26.35). Furthermore, adequate knowledge was related to extended working hours (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI, 1.28-6.81) whereas good practices were related to reduced working hours (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI, 1.63-3.41) and married marital status (AOR = 16.41,95%, CI, 4.27-62.99).

The study reveals that only two-thirds of participants in hydropower construction have adequate knowledge and safety practices, emphasizing the need for special attention to employees with musculoskeletal issues, longer shifts and lower education to safeguard the health of workforce.