Survey of Personal Protective Devices Usage in Industrial Workers in Yazd, Iran in 2011

Background and purpose: many workers are exposed to workplace hazards. many occupationaldiseases are preventable by personal protective devices (ppds). though many workers do notuse ppds or their protection by ppds is not sufficient. this study was designed to assess thequality of ppds usage among industrial workers.materials and methods: in a cross-sectional study, 648 workers from four main industries (tileand ceramic, metal, textile, and chemical) were evaluated for ppds use. the quality ofappropriate ppds was defined according to the workplace exposures, available ppds, and time ofexposure. the reasons for non-usage of ppds were evaluated as well. data were analyzed byspss using chi-square test.results: on average, 56.8%, 69.6%, and 61.6% of workers were exposed to noise, andrespiratory and dermal exposures, respectively. from the workers who needed ppds, 77.8%,26.3%, and 21% used gloves, respirators and hearing protection devices, respectively. the mostfrequent reason for non-usage was discomfort while wearing ppds.conclusion: this study showed an unsatisfactory situation in the industries for ppds usage: lowcompliance rate, inadequate training programs, and low quality of usage