The Relationship between Compliance with the Use of Personal Protective Equipment and the Risk of Occupational Accidents among Welding Workshop Workers in District X

Abstract

Welding work has a high potential for hazards such as hot metal sparks, ultraviolet radiation, welding fumes, and electric shock which can increase the risk of occupational accidents. Preliminary observations in welding workshops in Kebomas District showed that many workers still do not use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) completely. This study aims to analyze the relationship between compliance with PPE use and the risk of work accidents among welding workshop workers in Kebomas District. This study used a quantitative analytic observational design with a cross-sectional approach. A total of 80 workers were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires and risk assessment using the HIRARC method and analyzed using the Chi-Square test. The results showed that 87.5% of workers were non-compliant in using PPE and 12.5% were compliant. The risk assessment showed that 42.5% of workers were in the moderate risk category, 35% in the high risk category, and 22.5% in the low risk category. The Chi-Square test showed a p-value of 0.026 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant relationship between PPE compliance and the risk of work accidents. Workers who were not compliant with PPE use had a 4.38 times higher risk of occupational accidents than compliant workers. Efforts are needed to increase PPE compliance through occupational safety education and the provision of educational media such as posters.