OCULAR MORBIDITIES ASSOCIATED WITH WORKERS IN THE BREWING INDUSTRY – A CASE STUDY OF THE COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY
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Abstract
orkplaces have a key role in developing eye disorders, due to the danger of accidents. Bottles holding carbonated beverages are potentially dangerous to the eye. Since beverage bottles may burst with regular handling and without provocation, production rules must be put in place to assist in eliminating defective bottles. The study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of ocular morbidities associated with the brewing company workers. This study employed a prospective cross-sectional study design and was carried out in the Coca-Cola bottling company, Benin City. A total of 90 participants consisting of 65 males (72.2%) and 25 females (27.8%) were enrolled in this study. Majority of the participants were between the ages of 24 and 29 years (28.89%) with a mean ± standard deviation of 31.3 ± 7.58 years. Also, 82.2% of the participants had their education at the tertiary level. Data was collected using questionnaires and eye examination. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, pie charts, mean and standard deviation, and chi-square were used to analyze and summarize the data. Findings from the study revealed that pterygium was the most prevalent ocular morbidity among workers in the brewing industry. Allergic conjunctivitis (11.1%), pinguecula (10.0%), presbyopia (5.6%), cornea opacity (2.2%), foreign body (2.2%), cataract (1.1%) and refractive errors (1.11%), were also prevalent. 62.2% of the participants were aware of activities that pose a risk of injury and packaging was found to be a major risk to eye injury among the participants (20.0%). 61.1% of them owned a personal protective eyewear and xi 47.8% of them who owned a personal protective eyewear owned safety goggles. In conclusion, there was no significant relationship between patients’ ocular assessment and their areas of production (p >0.05). Therefore, it is recommended that workers in the production units receive comprehensive training on the advantages of wearing ocular protective eyewear during their work and the potential consequences of failing to do so.
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