Abstract

Objective: To assess health problems among pneumatic hand-held drill workers of National highways.
Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done from 1st Feb to 30th Nov 2017. Sample size consisted of 300 persons working on various sections of national highway who were randomly selected: 150 rock drill workers and 150 office workers were considered as controls, same age group. Subjects were briefly interviewed to determine subjective symptoms using self-constructed questionnaire and followed by clinical examination. Microsoft Word and Excel were used for the data analysis.
Results: The prevalence of health problems among hand held pneumatic drill workers was 82%. Among these 82%, 22 (26%) were between 22-27years of age, 20 (24.39%) 28-33years of age and 40 (48.78%) more than 33years. Among 82% having health problems, 53% were having 5-8years of work experience and 29% were having work experience more than 8years.
Conclusion: Permanent vibration exposures result in bad effects on health, leading to inability to carry out daily routine activities. It is also important for occupational physicians to ask their patients about occupational exposures when they present with various problems.

Key words: Drill workers, osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal, vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome.