ANALYSIS OF PHOTOKERATITIS-RELATED RISK FACTORS IN WELDERS OF PT. PAL INDONESIA (PERSERO) SURABAYA

Mandy Muskita1, Tri Martiana, Oedojo Soedirham

Abstract: During welding activities, there are eye-related electromagnetic light and ultraviolet is one of them. After 2 to 10 hours of ultraviolet exposure, a welder will complain of pain, sandy feeling, and other eye-related complaints. A disease caused by ultraviolet derived from welding activities is called photokeratitis. The purpose of the present study was to analyze photokeratitisrelated risk factors in welders. This study was a quantitative analytic survey using a cross-sectional design involving 50 respondents. Results of fluorescein test of 50 welders showed that 29 welders were photokeratitis-positive. Logistic regression test of respondents with UV exposure intensity of 0.3 mW/cm2 showed that those respondents had 5.55 times higher risk of developing photokeratitis than respondents exposed to an UV intensity of less than 0.3 mW/cm2 . Respondents aged 41 years and above had 7.09 times higher risk of developing photokeratitis than respondents aged below 41 years. Respondents rarely taking vitamin A had 15.87 times higher risk of developing photokeratitis than those frequently taking vitamin A. Respondents always experiencing eye complaints had 12.82 times higher risk of experiencing photokeratitis than those never had eye-related complaints. Respondents occasionally using personal protective equipment had 29.41 times higher risk of developing photokeratitis than those always using personal protective equipment. Respondents with the length of exposure of more than 8 hours had 4.87 times higher risk of developing photokeratitis than those with the length of exposure of less than 8 hours. The variable representing the most dominant risk factor for photokeratitis respondents was the use of personal protective equipment with 29.41 times higher risk than other independent variables

Keywords: welders, ultraviolet radiation, photokeratitis, general engineering

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0404089