The Influence of Behavior and Exposure to Molding Materials on the Incidence of Occupational Diseases in the Concrete Industry in North Sumatra

Abstract

Irritant contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases among concrete industry workers due to exposure to irritants during the production process. This study aims to analyze the influence of personal hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and exposure to molding materials on the incidence of irritant contact dermatitis among workers. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design involving 60 workers selected using total sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected via a questionnaire and analyzed using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression. The results showed that 55% of workers had irritant contact dermatitis, 58.3% had good personal hygiene, 98.3% used PPE properly, and 51.7% had high exposure to molding materials. Bivariate analysis showed that personal hygiene (p=0.025) and exposure to printing materials (p=0.010) were significantly associated with the incidence of irritant contact dermatitis, whereas the use of PPE was not significantly associated (p=0.326). Multivariate analysis showed that exposure to printing materials was the most dominant factor (p=0.014; OR=4.135; 95% CI=1.331–12.845). It was concluded that personal hygiene and exposure to printing materials are associated with the incidence of irritant contact dermatitis, with exposure to printing materials being the dominant factor