Saadia Ashraf, Mukhtiar Zaman, Amber Ashraf.
Knowledge, attitude, perception (KAP) of coal mine workers of Shangla district regarding occupational safety.
Pak J Chest Med Jan ;11(1):11-7.

Coal- miners are at risk of developing several diseases related to their exposure to coal dust and are prone to many accidents. We conducted this study to document Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception (KAP) of 101 randomly selected coalmine workers were assessed. The means of the study sample were; Age 37.56 yrs, BMI of 20.3, duration of work 13 yrs and work per day of 9.57 hrs. The average family size was 10, 90 were married and 44 were able to read and write. The absence of scientific method of working was evident as 75 participants reported digging and drilling, 14 reported blasting, 9 reported both as methods used for coal extraction. Despite primitive methods used, 75/101 were not using any protective gear during work and only 8 out of 101 were aware of coal mine related health hazards. Only 29 participants reported inspection of the one or the other nature during their work period. 19 participants had to avail health related leave of absence for more than 3 and 76 were currently disabled and retired because of respiratory symptoms. 60 out of 101 were able to recall accidents happening at the coal mines resulting into serious injuries and deaths. Despite being victims of mine, 21 out of 101 were still willing to send their children to work in coalmines. Conclusion: The majority of the miners are unaware of the occupational safety at coalmines and they are underestimating the usefulness of the protective gears and other safety measures.

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