Work Condition and Health at a Body Paint Workshop in Conakry

Context: Working conditions in the car repair sector are difficult in general. This leads to health risk factors for inexperienced staff. In the bodywork painting workshop, the staff seemed less interested in the risks probably due to negligence or by lack of knowledge. This work aimed to describe the working conditions and their impact on the workers’ health in a workshop of bodywork painting in Conakry. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study over 06 months (from July 01, 2021, to December 31, 2021). Were included the bodybuilders-painters, the painters and the bodybuilders. The data was collected during an interview. We analysed the personal data of the workers, the physical environment factors (lighting, noise, etc.) and, the clinical manifestations felt by the workers. Results: The average age was 37 years extenting from 18 to 54 years and, they were all men. Over 80% of workers were exposed to more than 1000 lux and, 78.2% of workers were exposed to the vibratory intensity level of the cordless drill > 2.5 m/s2. The most frequent symptoms were back pain, headache, itchy eyes, and numbness of fingers and hands. The analysis of working conditions and clinical manifestations showed a significant relationship between the level of illumination and the tingling eyes (p = 0.0007), the vibratory intensity of the drill and the numbness of fingers and hands (p = 0.01). This study revealed that some of the complaints cited are related to the working conditions. Conclusion: Working conditions in a bodywork paint workshop are occupational risk factors that become dangerous if they are unknown. A longitudinal study on the assessment of working conditions could better enlighten us on this phenomenon.

Handlers’ Musculoskeletal Disorders in an Airline Operating Company in Conakry (Guinea)

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are disorders of the musculoskeletal system related to work. The objective of this study was to musculoskeletal disorders among SOGEAC handlers. Methodology: This was a descriptive and analytic cross-sectional study over 6 months from November 2021 to April 2022. Results: We collected 110 handlers during the study. All of our population had postural constraints and were men. The average age of workers was 39.2 years. 93 handlers or 84.5% did manual handling, and 79% or 71.8% were baggage handlers. Regarding training, 88.2% or 97 handlers were trained, and 89.1% did alternating work. The standing posture was the most adopted with 89.1% followed by the kneeling position with 66.4%. 89.1% carried weights at work. 80 handlers or 73% had developed musculoskeletal disorders and the lumbar seat was found at 70%. The analysis of factors that may influence the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders did not find any statistically significant relation. Conclusion: Our study shows that musculoskeletal disorders are an occupational health problem and recommends better compliance with occupational safety and health instructions.