Olaoye, O.J., Ojebiyi, W.G., Ogunremi, J.B., Oose, M.O. , Ojeikhoa, O.R. and Opele, A.I

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The hazards associated with artisanal fish processing in Ogun Waterside local government area of Ogun State, Nigeria were accessed from March to May, 2014. Structured interview guide was used to collect information from 91 artisanal fish processors from 10 (out of 23) randomly selected fishing communities. Data collected were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that higher proportion of the fish processors were married (85.7%), older than 40 years with mean age of 49.90±12.17 years, and had no formal education (67.0%). The mean household size and mean fish processing experience were approximately 9 persons and 25.7±4.27 years respectively. Furthermore, majority of the artisanal fish processors do processing of fish on a daily basis (85.7%) with hired labour (84.6%) using the Agbado type smoking kiln (87.9%). The study also found that higher proportion of the fish processors worked frequently with poorly designed equipment (63.7%), poorly maintained facilities (62.6%), poorly constructed equipment (53.8%) and under constrained neck posture (69.2%). This study revealed that chemical hazards were more common among artisanal fish processors in Ogun Waterside LGA. Common effects of occupational hazards felt by the fish processors included carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal problem, arthritis, dizziness, rheumatism and skin rashes. Significant association was found between the types of hazards experienced by the fish processors and the effect of those hazards on the fish processors (χ2 = 15.581, p<0.01). The study concluded that artisanal fish processors were suffering from serious health challenges due to their use of primitive processing techniques and poor working condition. The study recommended that financial assistance should be provided to artisanal fish processors so as to allow them make use of improved processing tools and equipment. Key words: Ergonomic hazards, fish processors, injuries, rheumatism, smoking kiln