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Effect of Pesticide Safety Education on Personal Protective Equipment Use among Agricultural Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Pesticide exposure is an important occupational and public health concern among agricultural workers because pesticides are widely used to control pests and diseases affecting crops. Improper handling, mixing, application, storage, and disposal of pesticides may expose agricultural workers to harmful chemicals and increase the risk of acute poisoning and other adverse health effects. Agricultural workers may be particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure because of frequent contact with pesticides, inadequate knowledge of safety procedures, limited access to protective equipment, poor working conditions, and inconsistent compliance with recommended occupational safety measures. Pesticide safety education provides agricultural workers with information about pesticide hazards, routes of exposure, safe handling and application procedures, appropriate storage and disposal, label instructions, personal hygiene, emergency measures, and the importance of using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Personal protective equipment use refers to the appropriate selection, availability, correct wearing, maintenance, and consistent use of protective equipment such as gloves, protective clothing, boots, eye protection, respiratory protection where appropriate, and other recommended equipment during pesticide-related activities. In Nigeria, inadequate pesticide safety knowledge, limited availability and affordability of PPE, discomfort associated with wearing protective equipment, climatic conditions, and established occupational practices may affect PPE use among agricultural workers. Effective pesticide safety education may improve workers' knowledge, risk perception, self-efficacy, and compliance with recommended PPE practices. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of pesticide safety education on personal protective equipment use among agricultural workers in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model explains preventive occupational health behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding agricultural workers' adoption of PPE use. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping occupational safety behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how improved knowledge and attitudes resulting from pesticide safety education may influence PPE use. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how pesticide safety education may influence personal protective equipment use among agricultural workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from agricultural workers involved in pesticide-related activities in selected farming communities in Nigeria using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational PPE-use checklist. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, agricultural zones, local government areas, farming communities, farms, and eligible agricultural workers. Where feasible, selected worker groups or communities will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Workers in the intervention group will receive structured pesticide safety education covering pesticide hazards, routes of exposure, safe pesticide handling and application, appropriate reading and interpretation of pesticide labels, safe mixing and storage, emergency procedures, personal hygiene, appropriate PPE selection, correct use and maintenance of PPE, and safe disposal of contaminated materials. PPE use will be assessed using indicators such as availability and use of appropriate protective gloves, protective clothing, boots, eye protection, respiratory protection where indicated, and other recommended protective equipment during pesticide-related activities. The assessment will consider consistency, correctness, and appropriateness of PPE use. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize workers' sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, pesticide safety knowledge, exposure to education, and PPE-use practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of pesticide safety education on PPE use. Appropriate diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that pesticide safety education has a significant positive effect on personal protective equipment use among agricultural workers in Nigeria. Agricultural workers exposed to structured pesticide safety education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of pesticide hazards and greater adherence to recommended PPE practices. Education may improve recognition of pesticide exposure risks, increase understanding of appropriate protective equipment, strengthen workers' confidence in using PPE correctly, and promote more consistent use during pesticide handling and application. However, education alone may not guarantee sustained PPE use because workers may continue to face barriers such as high cost, limited availability, discomfort, inadequate equipment sizes, hot and humid working conditions, and insufficient workplace enforcement of safety requirements. Consequently, pesticide safety education is expected to be most effective when supported by affordable and accessible PPE, appropriate equipment supply systems, occupational safety supervision, practical demonstrations, enforcement of pesticide safety standards, and continuous worker training. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on occupational health, pesticide safety, agricultural health, environmental health, workplace safety, health education, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the effect of pesticide safety education on personal protective equipment use among agricultural workers. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, agricultural extension services, occupational health authorities, state ministries of agriculture and health, farmers' associations, agricultural employers, pesticide regulatory agencies, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing occupational pesticide exposure. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening pesticide safety education, improving access to appropriate PPE, incorporating practical PPE demonstrations into agricultural extension programmes, strengthening occupational safety monitoring, improving compliance with pesticide safety standards, and promoting safer pesticide-handling practices among agricultural workers across Nigeria.

Keywords: Pesticide safety education, personal protective equipment use, agricultural workers, pesticide exposure, occupational health, pesticide safety, workplace safety, agricultural health, protective equipment, health education, environmental health, public health, Nigeria.