Assessment the workers awareness with occupational health and safety at northern petrochemical company in Iraq

Background: Occupational health and safety is the protective shield for workers against hazards and accidents at the workplace. Therefore, they must be fully awareness of the concepts and principles of occupational health and safety in order to avoid accidents within the petrochemical industries containing these hazards.

Aim: The study aimed to assess the workers awareness’ with occupational health and safety at Northern Petrochemical Company in Salah Alden Governorate of Iraq and to find out relationship between this awareness with workers` demographical characteristics such as (age, period of services, marital status, and education level).

Materials and methods: A descriptive design was applied throughout the present study in order to achieve study goals. The study sample was (330) worker, working in basic factory departments, in the Northern Petrochemical Company. A special questionnaire was prepared by the investigator, through an extensive literatures review, opinion of experts and conducting a preliminary study. Data were gathered through the worker` interviewed in workplace. Content validity of the questionnaire was done through eliciting the opinions of a panel of (9) expert, while the reliability of questionnaire was done through a pilot study and by using internal consistency and calculation of Pearson Correlation Coefficient on data gathered from (10) workers.

Results: The results of the study showed that all workforces were males and most of them were married have low educational level with period of services more than ten years; The results of the study showed that workers have an awareness “of the occupational health and safety they need in the workplace and there a significant relationship differences between this awareness and the worker ages, services period and their educational level at P ≤ 0.05.

Conclusion: The awareness of workers’ with occupational health and safety in the Northern Petrochemical Company comes from a comprehensive understanding of the hazards arising from the processes of production and use of chemicals materials and use of personal protection equipment. Awareness is also increasing among adult workers with a high level of education and long years of service period.