Community members’ knowledge of quarry safety measures and standards and their perception of how resident quarry workers practice these safety measures: a case study of akamkpa local government area, cross river state, Nigeria

Introduction: Quarrying is fraught with dangers and risk of accidents. To this end, those who operate these quarries have put in place various safety measures based on established standards and international best practices aimed at protecting or safeguarding the health and physical wellbeing of their workers. Ideally every worker in the quarry ought to be abreast with every operation of the quarry that is accident prone and to take necessary precautions to avoid being injured or even killed while engaged or working in the quarry.  It is also imperative for community members who live near quarry sites to be equally knowledgeable about the potential risks they face and how they can ameliorate these risks. Method: A cross sectional study design was employed for this study. A pretested and validated questionnaire was administered to 291 randomly selected respondents in the quarry communities in Akamkpa LGA, of Cross River State, Nigeria about their perceptions regarding the knowledge and practice of the safety measures by the quarry workers. Results: The findings of this study showed that most 118 (40.5) of the community members residents within the environs of the quarry sites were aware of the safety kits requirements for the prevention of occupational hazards in the quarries. 131 (45%) of our respondents, based on their observations reported that the quarry workers were consistent in their use of PPEs; while 132 (45.5%) had a contrary opinion. Conclusion: The community members reported a slightly higher non-compliance with the use of PPEs as opposed to those that used PPEs consistently. Moreover, the incidents of quarry accidents reported is a cause for concern that speaks volumes about the poor safety standards in the quarries in the study area. It was therefore recommended that the government regulatory agencies need to step up their supervisory roles to ensure that established safety protocols for quarrying in the quarries operating in Akamkpa LGA, Cross River State, Nigeria, are carried out are in line with global best practices.