Factors Related to Health Monitoring Data among Pulp Production Industrial Workers

Abstract

     This cross-sectional analytic research aimed to study the factors correlated with health monitoring data of the pulp production industrial workers. The research was conducted among 205 workers by the questionnaires of personal and work characteristics and using the one-year secondary data recorded in 2019 for chemicals monitoring concentrations in the work environment and workers’ health monitoring data. The significant risk factors were identified by a logistic regression analysis and presented odds ratio (OR). The results showed that risk factors which were associated with overall health monitoring results included alcohol consumption and smoking. The alcoholic workers had 2.29 times higher risk to have abnormal health effects than those who were non-alcoholic (OR = 2.29, 95 %CI = 1.01-5.25). The current smokers or ex-smokers had 2.09 times higher risk to abnormal health effects than those who were non-smokers (OR = 2.09, 95 %CI = 1.04-4.19). Therefore, it is recommended to have a campaign for workers to refrain from drinking and smoking. There should be a constant surveillance with workers who have the opportunity to come into contact with chemicals in the pulp production area on a regular basis, although this study found the lower than the limit standard of all chemicals’ concentrations. Due to the limitations of only one year of secondary data study, the surveillance program or further investigation is recommended for the long-term relationship of the chemicals’ concentrations in work environment and the biological monitoring of workers’ exposure with the health monitoring data of the risk groups of workers.