Knowledge and Practices on Pesticide Exposure amongst Pest Control Operators in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Abstract

Background Pesticide exposure is a major global public health issue that contributes to global deaths. Occupational pesticide exposure has been deemed one of developing countries' most important risk factors. Pest control operators (PCOs, i.e.) any person who applies pesticides as a profession, are more prone to high exposure as they work frequently with pesticides. Therefore, urban PCOs such as those in Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality must have knowledge of pesticide exposure and safe handling procedures to reduce high-risk events. Study Aim and Objectives The study aimed to determine the knowledge and the practices of pest control operators within all the seven regions of COJ. The following objectives have been formulated and the specific objectives were to: 1. Determine the level of knowledge of pest control operators on pesticide exposure and PPE. 2. Assess the practices of pest control operators regarding PPE use and other safety measures in relation to COJ’s pest control standard operating procedure and personal protective equipment guidelines when performing their duties. 3. Identify possible association between knowledge and practices of pest control within the seven regions of COJ. Methods The study was conducted in the seven regions of the City of Johannesburg municipality in Gauteng province, South Africa. Descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst pest control operators working within all the seven regions of the City of Johannesburg municipality. Data was collected through questionnaire which was self- administered and consisted of questions related to demographics, knowledge of pesticide exposure (n= 13) and PPE as well as PPE practices and other safety measures (n= 20). The completion of the questionnaire was through participants completing the forms independently. The responses were converted into scores and v further analysed using version 28 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, the association between knowledge and practice was statistically tested. All ethical considerations such as permissions, ethical clearance and informed consent were observed throughout the study. Results Of the 75 PCOs employed, 46 pest control operators participated in the study. The sample was predominantly middle-aged, averaging between 30-49 years old and male at (89.1%). A total of 63% had secondary education. In particular, over 80% of participants obtained excellent scores on knowledge questionnaire items addressing pesticide labelling, exposure prevention, associated symptoms, integrated pest management methods, and protective gear usage. However, one knowledge gap observed was around disease vectors transmitted by pests, with only 83% answering correctly compared to over 90% on other questions. All PCOs affirmed the importance of PPE, 18% admitted applying pesticides when their gear was damaged. Regarding other safety measures, nearly all participants (95.7%) stored pesticides securely. However, empty container disposal and reuse (76.1% reusing) remain problematic. Additionally, although 95.1% avoided smoking during use, many reported eating (93.5%) and talking (80.4%) when handling pesticides. No association was observed between the knowledge and practice clusters. Conclusion Despite the relative high level of knowledge, the reported practices should encourage the City of Johannesburg to target unsafe habits through combinations of skills-based participatory training, continuous audits and guidance to correct behaviours, provision of adequate and comfortable protective gears, and promotion of workplace cultural diligence to ensure safe conduct.