Abstract
Informal workers in African market trade have little formal protection against sun exposure. We aimed to examine sun exposure, sun-related symptoms, and sun protection practices in an informal occupational setting. Trained fieldworkers asked 236 workers in the Warwick Junction market about their workplace, skin and eye sensitivity and skin colour, symptoms faced at work during the summer due to heat, and preventive measures. Data were analyzed using univariate logistic regression to assess the effect of gender and the risk of experiencing symptoms to sun exposure in relation to pre-existing diseases and perception of sun exposure as a hazard. Of the 236 participants, 234 were Black African and 141 (59.7%) were female. Portable shade was the most commonly used form of sun protection (69.9%). Glare from the sun (59.7%) and excessive sweating (57.6%) were commonly reported sun-related health symptoms. The use of protective clothing was more prevalent among those who perceived sun exposure as a hazard (p = 0.003). In an informal occupational setting, sun exposure was high. Protective clothing and portable shade to eliminate heat and bright light were self-implemented. Action by local authorities to protect informal workers should consider sun exposure to support workers in their efforts to cope in hot weather.
Highlights
Despite their important role in the urban economy, informal workers involved in market trade have little protection against the health and safety risks they face in their workplace [1,2]
As part of a larger project that aimed to identify the environmental and occupational hazards of informal workers involved in the traditional medicine trade in an open street market, questions on sun and heat exposure were included in the survey questionnaire to informal workers. These results identify trends and risk factors that will help inform sun protection practices and behaviours as well as extreme heat event preparedness and coping mechanisms in the informal occupational sector of open street markets
Black African outdoor workers in informal trade reported three other health symptoms and impacts related to excess sun exposure, namely glare from the sun, excessive sweating, and cataracts
Summary
Despite their important role in the urban economy, informal workers involved in market trade have little protection against the health and safety risks they face in their workplace [1,2]. Informal workplaces, such as traditional medicine trade in an open street market, in developing countries are seldom regulated by, or inspected for, compliance to laws for formal workplace workers’ protection. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1142; doi:10.3390/ijerph14101142 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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