Work-related respiratory impairment in quarry workers

This study assessed work-related respiratory impairment in the quarry industry. A cross-sectional analytical study design was used and data were collected from 411 quarry workers and 411 control for spirometric assessment. Of the 411 quarry workers, 92% had good knowledge of dust as hazard. Three hundred and ninety six (96.4%) had good knowledge of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), 374(91%) used RPE provided by employers and 93.6% used the provided RPE always. Three hundred and eighty eight (95.6%) of quarry workers received training on correct use of RPE. The mean Total Suspended Particle (TSP) in the quarry environment was 5.22±3.38mg/m3 while TSP in control environment was 0.11±0.08mg/m3. The mean Particulate Matter of Less than ten micron (PM10) in the quarries was 1.27±0.67mg/m3 and control environment was 0.02± 0.01mg/m3. The mean Particulate Matter of less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5) in the quarry was 0.54 ± 0.34mg/m3 while in the control environment it was 0.02 ± 0.01mg/m3. The mean Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), percentage predicted, for the quarry workers was 79.40 ± 2.73% and control workers were 89.46±31.24%.