Occupational health and safety level of asphalt workers in diyarbakir highways and determination of occupational health exposures

Aim: The aim of this study; The aim of this course is to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of occupational health and safety of highways asphalt road construction workers, to determine the exposure levels of chemicals used during asphalt road construction by evaluating periodic inspections and inspections. Material and Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was conducted face to face with 158 workers and their demographic characteristics, information and attitudes about OHS were questioned, blood lead levels made during periodic examination, hippuric acid in spot urine, creatinine and phenol levels were evaluated. Results: All of the participants were male and 50% of them worked in this job for 11 years or more. 21.5% of the participants stated that the level of knowledge about OHS is insufficient in general, and 50.7% stated that they do not have any knowledge about the rights in the Law No. 6331. 27.8% of the causes of occupational accidents, 33.6% of the causes of occupational diseases, 22.8% of occupational safety warning signs, 22.8% of the use of PPE, 26.6% of the first aid applications information. 6.3% of the employees stated that they had an occupational accident and 8.2% stated that they were diagnosed with occupational disease by the occupational physician. 16.4% of the survey participants were responsible for the repair and maintenance of heavy machinery, 13.4% were hazards during asphalt production - chemicals, 8.3% used paint, 6.3% dusty environment, 4%, 4 reported asphalt temperature and combustion and 4.4% reported road accident risks during road works. The blood lead level of 52.4% of the employees was above the reference value (20-70 µg / dL), 55.3% had hypuric acid values in spot urine, 55.3% had phenol value and 22.4% had creatinine value was found above the reference value. Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that training on the occupational health and safety which may cause accidents and occupational diseases is important in the asphalt production department, which has the highest risk group. Factors exposed in laboratory evaluations of employees should be identified, employees should be informed about the dangers they face in work environments where exposure is high and awareness should be raised.