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Influence of Occupational Health Education on Personal Protective Equipment Use among Construction Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Construction work is associated with substantial occupational health and safety risks, including falls, cuts, fractures, burns, exposure to dust and hazardous substances, excessive noise, electrical hazards, and other workplace injuries. Construction workers are therefore an important occupational group for injury prevention and workplace health promotion. Personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety helmets, protective footwear, gloves, eye protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, reflective clothing, and fall-protection equipment where appropriate, provides an important line of defence against workplace hazards when engineering and administrative controls do not fully eliminate exposure. Occupational health education is an important strategy for improving workers' knowledge of workplace hazards, appropriate PPE selection, correct use, maintenance, limitations, and the consequences of non-compliance. In Nigeria, inadequate occupational safety awareness, inconsistent safety training, poor enforcement of workplace safety regulations, limited availability of appropriate PPE, discomfort, cost, and workplace pressures may contribute to inconsistent PPE use among construction workers. Effective occupational health education may improve workers' knowledge, risk perception, confidence, and compliance with recommended PPE practices. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of occupational health education on personal protective equipment use among construction workers in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model (HBM), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The Health Belief Model explains preventive occupational behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding workers' decisions to use PPE. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural capabilities, observational learning, social influences, and workplace environmental conditions in shaping safety behaviours. The Theory of Planned Behavior proposes that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control influence behavioural intentions and subsequent safety practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a comprehensive framework for explaining how occupational health education may influence PPE use among construction workers in Nigeria. The study adopts a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from construction workers employed on selected construction sites in Nigeria using a structured self-administered or interviewer-administered questionnaire and, where feasible, a structured workplace observation checklist. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, construction companies or sites, and eligible workers. Where feasible, selected construction sites will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Workers in the intervention group will receive structured occupational health education covering workplace hazards, risk assessment, PPE selection, correct PPE use, fitting and maintenance, limitations of PPE, reporting of damaged equipment, and the consequences of non-compliance with workplace safety requirements. PPE use will be assessed using indicators such as availability and use of safety helmets, protective footwear, gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, hearing protection, reflective clothing, and fall-protection equipment where relevant to specific tasks. Self-reported PPE use will be complemented by direct workplace observation where feasible. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize workers' sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, exposure to safety education, and PPE use. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple logistic regression or regression analysis, will be employed to determine the influence of occupational health education on PPE use. Appropriate diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and the robustness of the findings. The study anticipates that occupational health education will have a significant positive influence on PPE use among construction workers in Nigeria. Workers exposed to structured occupational health education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of workplace hazards, greater awareness of the protective benefits of PPE, and increased compliance with recommended PPE use. Education may improve workers' ability to select appropriate protective equipment, use it correctly, recognize damaged equipment, and understand the potential consequences of non-compliance. However, education alone may not guarantee consistent PPE use because workers may face barriers such as inadequate PPE availability, uncomfortable equipment, poor fit, hot environmental conditions, cost constraints, weak supervisory enforcement, production pressures, and inadequate workplace safety culture. Consequently, occupational health education is expected to be most effective when supported by reliable PPE supply, effective supervision, enforcement of safety regulations, proper equipment fitting, regular safety inspections, and management commitment to occupational health and safety. This study is expected to contribute to the literature on occupational health, workplace safety, injury prevention, health education, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between occupational health education and PPE use among construction workers. The findings will provide useful information for the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, construction companies, occupational health and safety professionals, labour organizations, regulatory authorities, site managers, safety officers, public health practitioners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing construction-related occupational injuries and exposures. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening occupational health education, standardizing construction-site safety training, improving PPE availability and accessibility, strengthening supervisory monitoring, enforcing occupational safety regulations, and promoting a strong workplace safety culture across the Nigerian construction industry.

Keywords: Occupational health education, personal protective equipment, PPE use, construction workers, workplace safety, occupational safety, injury prevention, construction industry, health education, occupational health, public health, Nigeria.