Assessment of Occupational Hazards Awareness Among Electrical Installation Technicians in Taraba State, Nigeria

This study assessed occupational hazards awareness among electrical installation technicians in Taraba state Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was employed in this study. The population of the study is 167, comprising electrical installation technicians registered with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Taraba state, all technical department staff of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) Jalingo business unit, Engineering staff of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Jalingo, Engineering staff of Taraba Television (TTV) Jalingo and Engineering staff of Taraba State Broadcasting Service (TSBS) Jalingo. Proportionate sampling technique was used to sample out 87 respondents (55 domestic and 32 industrial installation technicians) out of 167 for the study. A structured questionnaire tagged ‘Occupational Hazards Awareness Questionnaire’ (OHAQ) was developed by the researcher for gathering data. The instrument was face-validated by three lecturers of electrical/electronic technology from University of Uyo and two experts from Yola Electricity Distribution Company, Jalingo business unit. A reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained indicating it’s reliable for use in this study. The instrument was administered on respondents by the researcher and trained research assistants to ensure appropriate respondents are used and to minimize instrument loss. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that electrical installation technicians in Taraba State generally possess moderate level of awareness of hazards associated with their occupation. The technicians demonstrated awareness of common occupational hazards such as electric shock, burns, falls from heights, fire outbreaks and injuries resulting from the use of faulty tools and equipment; and that electrical installation technicians employ various techniques to prevent hazards in their workplaces, these techniques include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety boots, gloves and helmets among others. In addition to these, they isolate power sources before carrying out electrical tasks. It was concluded that technicians possess moderate awareness of hazards associated with electrical installation work. Continuous safety training, regular awareness campaigns and strict enforcement of occupational safety standards among others were recommended to improve workplace safety