Effects of wearing personal protective equipments during work on health problems and injuries of workers exposed to vibration stimuli: the fifth Korean working condition survey

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) during work on the health problems and injuries of workers exposed to vibration stimuli. Method: We used data from the fifth Korean Working Condition Survey (2017). After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 3,062 workers were included. The occurrence of health problems and injuries was investigated using a self-reported questionnaire. Chi-squared tests were used to compare the differences in baseline characteristics between the groups wearing and not wearing PPE. The odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated using a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for several covariates. Results: As a result of multivariate logistic regression analysis, the probability of back pain was 1.379 times higher in the group not wearing PPE than in the group wearing PPE (OR =1.379, 95 % CI: 1.031 - 1.845). Additionally, the likelihood of headaches and eye fatigue was 1.651 times higher (OR = 1.651, 95 % CI: 1.228 - 2.220). Conclusion: We found that wearing PPE could reduce the risk of back pain, headaches, and eye fatigue due to exposure to vibration stimuli between tasks. These results can contribute to improvements in the working environment and the health promotion of workers as a basis for practical educational data to improve the PPE-wearing rate.