Workplace and Health Conditions in Small Industries in Dammam Saudi Arabia

The following were the total number of positive feedbacks for the various OSH elements surveyed. Mechanical handling was leading with 81% followed by facilities with 80%, tool safety 63%, fire protection 60%, services and maintenance 57%, emergency preparedness 49%, personal protective equipment 43%, general workshop safety 43%, house keeping17% and chemical exposure 12%. OSH elements such as general workshop safety, housekeeping, emergency preparedness and direct contacts to chemicals had a lesser tally than 50%. OSH components which had the lowest positive responses will be addressed further through regular checkup and training of administrative and technical staffs (Ahmad, 2016). This survey will be used to further carry out a more comprehensive study that will help in obtaining a correct representative OSH status in small industries in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. 13 workshops agreed to participate in the survey process while 7 workshops declined to take part in the study process after learning the assessment details.

The research survey was systematic although it consumed a lot of time as there were frequent phone calls and private appointments made. Each survey was led by two occupational hygienist professionals whose responsibility was to brief participants the aims and objectives of the survey as well as assuring them confidentiality of their particulars (Heer, 2011). The supervisor or manager of each workshop was questioned about the demographics of the workshops, the rules, and policies of the workshop, safety and health documents and lastly the number of employees. Workplace conditions such as dust, floors, exposure to chemicals, tools, fire extinguishers among others were evaluated through personal observations, visual inspection or walk through the survey. There was, however, a 31% low positive response observed for the smoking in the workshops (Kamal, 2016).

The results of housekeeping section were found to be very low. Only 17% of the total surveyed workspaces had good maintenance terms of smooth, well-ordered and washed floors or instant clean up in case of spillages. None of the workshops had suitable control facility for chemical spills. This poor result shows that there is a need for awareness and training of technical staffs. Conclusion The study shows a preliminary assessment of health conditions and facilities in small-scale industries of motor vehicle repair workshops in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Assessment, observations, walk through analysis and interviews were employed during the research. Mechanical handling was leading with 81% followed by facilities with 80%, tool safety 63%, fire protection 60%, services and maintenance 57%, emergency preparedness 49%, personal protective equipment 43%, general workshop safety 43%, house keeping17% and chemical exposure 12% (Ouda, 2016).

The main concerning OSH components were found to be house maintenance with 17% and chemical exposure with 12%. OSH elements which had the lowest positive feedbacks at surveyed industries would be considered through more training and monitoring of administrative and technical staffs. 69397 Ahmad, I. , Rehan, M. , Balkhyour, M. , Abbas, M. , Basahi, J. , Bejan, A. , Parker, D. L. , Skan, M. , Xi, M. , El-Behaedi, E. H. , Hassan, I. A. Air Pollution Assessment in Fuel Stations and its Impact on Workers’ Health: a Case Study from Jeddah, KSA. A. S. , Mehta, S. Occupational injuries in automobile repair workers. Industrial health, 49, 642-651. org/garjmms Kamal, A. , Cincinelli, A. , Martellini, T. , Palchetti, I. , Bettazzi, F. M. , Morsy, E. A. , Rehan, M. , Ali, K. , Barakat, M. A. E. F.