The Pattern of Adherence to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Jordanian Small and Medium Sized Construction Sites

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are considered a major element in ensuring the safety of engineers and workers at construction sites. Reports representing on-site injuries among construction workers show limited adherence to safety guidelines and PPE utilization. The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern of PPE use in Jordanian construction sites and the factors related to the adherence and non-adherence to occupational safety rules. I conducted a cross-sectional study on Jordanian civil engineers using an online structured self administered questionnaire. 119 engineers with a mean age of 36.2 ± 12.5 years were included, of which 98 (82.4%) were males and 21 (17.6%) were females. The most available safety tool were helmets (73.9%), followed by safety boots (66.4%) and scaffolds (63%), while 14.3% had no safety tools at the construction site. A significant correlation was found between adherence to occupational safety and attending occupational safety workshops (p= 0.002) and first aid workshops (p=0.007). The main factor to be linked to non-adherence of workers to safety rules was the lack of formal punishment for nonadherence (67.2%). Engineers confidence in the effectiveness of safety policies was significantly associated with the awareness of workers (r= 0.277, p=0.002), awareness of engineers (r= 0.363, p <0.001), and the adherence of coworkers (r= 0.34, p <0.001). In conclusion, construction industry is one of the main pillars of the national economy of Jordan, and adherent workers play a significant role in the improvement of occupational safety, and therefore Jordanian construction industry