Establishing risk assessment indices for occupational injuries at work in the Philippines: Strategies for prevention

ABSTRACT

The study looked into the occupational hazards and injuries among 500 workers in 10 semiconductor industries in the Cavite Export Processing Zone in the Philippines. It also looked into the risk factors associated with injuries among workers. The 10 semiconductor industries are involved in the production of microchips and electronics. This is a parametric study using stratified sampling, workplace ambient monitoring, safety investigation, medical records review, survey questionnaires and interviews. Results of the study showed that noise was the most common physical agent, 67-100 percent present in all industry sizes. Medium-scale industries had low compliance on provision of administrative and engineering control measures. Selective interviews indicated the following problems lack of ventilation, lack of protective equipment, need for overtime, frequent accidents/injuries during night shifts and prolonged standing. For the 500 workers who were given questionnaires, problems cited for work conditions include poor housekeeping, slippery floors, uneven floors, no machine guard, insufficient work area and insufficient warehouse/storage area. The top five most frequent stressors were overtime, fast-paced work, repetitive work, mental fatigue and visual strain. The most prevalent injuries were cuts and bruises at 65.5 percent. When hazards and injuries were associated, the results showed significant association between the following noise with hearing loss (p=0.019), poor illumination with eye strain (p=0.007), vibration with muscle injury (p=0.046), excessive work with low back injury (p=0.00), poor housekeeping with slipping (p=0.021), slippery floor with falls (p=0.032), and with uneven floors with falls (p=0.003). All these injuries occurred in the workplace due to lack of machine guards, improper use of tools, non-ergonomically designed tools, fast workplace and unsafe conditions. Cutting from a machine caused three amputations. In conclusion, the study showed that there occupational injuries are prevalent in the electronic industries, and they are work-related. (Author)