Occupational environment as perceived by workers at a textile mill in Bahir Dar, northwest Ethiopia

This cross sectional study was conducted among textile mill workers in Bahir Dar town in 1995/96. The main objective of the study was to investigate how workers perceive their work environment and explore their state of satisfaction with their work. A pretested questionnaire was administered by trained health workers to 394 production workers. The majority of the workers (53.6%) claimed the work environment to be hot. For 66.8%, the physical conditions around the working departments was worst during the hot season. The work place was perceived as dusty and noisy by 47.2% and 36.0% of the respondents respectively. The distribution of adverse environmental complaint by work department was not the same. A higher proportion of the workers in the spinning department complained of inadequate air movement (64.5%) and dusty work place (53.3%); whereas those in the weaving department complained the work place to be hot and noisy (60.5%, 53.5% respectively). Aprons were used by 95.7%, but other personal protectors such as ear protectors, gloves and goggles were used rarely. In general, 228 (57.9%) workers were satisfied but the rest were dissatisfied with their work environment. In order to improve the hygienic conditions in the work place, 71.2% suggested use of different kinds of personal protectors. In conclusion, personal protectors should always be used, environmental hygiene should be conducted and health education should be provided to workers.