Occupational risk assessment in the sector of small-scale aluminum smelter in Dakar

Purpose of the study. Evaluate occupational risks among aluminum foundry artisans from Dakar, Senegal. Methods. This was a cross and descriptive study from September 1, 2013 to October 30, 2013 in sites Colobane and Rebeuss at Dakar. Our study included 21 foundries and 53 foundry artisans. A preestablished questionnaire including data on workers and various occupational hazards has been proposed. We visited the workplace in a real work situation. Results. Our study population was exclusively male and the average age was 35 years, ranging from 15 years to 73 years. Half of the founders had seniority of less than 10 years. The majority of the founders' artisans (83%) were paid to the task. All premises were poorly lit; the floor and the corridors were crowded areas. There was no storage space in all workshops. Four workers (3.8%) have personal protective equipment. All workers were exposed to noise, vibration, heat and also risks of fire and explosion. Other risks were present in following proportions: inhalation of fumes or toxic gases in 85% of cases (n = 45), irritation eyes in 91% of cases (n = 48) and irritation skin in 11% of cases (n = 6). Biohazards were due to contamination by microorganisms in 85% of workers (n = 45). Stress prevailed among psychosocial risks with 64% of cases (n = 34). All workshops were responsible for pollution of the neighborhood and air. We observed an occupational accident in 49 workers (92.5%) and we noted musculoskeletal disorders among 30 workers in our study (56%). Conclusion. Occupational hazards are present in the area of small-scale aluminum foundry. Priorities are organization of the profession, coaching the artisans, formation of gestures and postures and education on hygiene, health and safety. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.