2024 Volume 46 Issue 2 Pages 191-202
Workers in painting companies may be unaware that the paints they handle have adverse health effects. The present study explored the factors associated with workers’ perception of paints as “dangerous and harmful”. A questionnaire survey and interviews were conducted with workers engaged in painting operations in small-sized painting companies (fewer than 50 employees) in northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi prefectures. Safety and health education methods making workers perceive paint as “dangerous and harmful” were clarified. Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression analysis were used for the survey and hierarchical cluster analysis for the interviews. The factor “Hazard prediction activity (KY Activity)”, gender, and job position were identified as factors that make workers perceive paint as “dangerous and harmful”. Based on the interview results, “KY Activity” was a keyword and a standardized safety and health activity. Before work, workers gather in a small group to discuss the dangers and hazards of paint, share information, establish action goals, and confirm safety measures. The questionnaire identified “KY Activity” as a factor influencing the workers’ perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful”. “KY Activity,” also extracted from the interviews, is an effective health and safety education method for teaching workers in small-sized painting companies that paint is “dangerous and harmful”.
According to the report “Study Group on the Management of Chemical Substances in the Workplace (September 2019–July 2021)” by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) [1], approximately 80% of work-related accidents in Japan that resulted in four or more days of work absence were caused by chemical substances that are not regulated by special rules, such as the “Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards due to Specified Chemical Substances.” The MHLW revised the Enforcement Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health with the aim of changing the management of chemical substances in the workplace from the conventional “legal compliance type” to an “autonomous management type.” This new approach will be fully implemented starting from April, 2024 [1, 2]. It is necessary for workers to receive safety and health education and training on handling chemical substances in the workplace in order to implement the autonomous management of chemical substances. The study group states that “smaller companies tend to have inadequate compliance with laws and regulations, and many small- and medium-sized companies do not even take the minimum necessary measures.” Concerns have arisen regarding whether small-sized companies with few workers can implement autonomous management of chemical substances and prevent occupational accidents [1].
Occupational accidents are caused by various factors, including insufficient safety measures for machinery and equipment and a lack of knowledge and experience regarding chemical substances. To prevent occupational accidents, it is important for workers to be aware of the importance of safety and health and to have appropriate knowledge. The Occupational Safety and Health Law mandates four educational opportunities: “when a worker is hired or when the work changes,” “when a worker engages in ‘dangerous and harmful’ work,” “when a worker assumes the position of foreman,” and “when a worker becomes a person in charge of safety and health (Health Officer)” or seeks to improve their skills. This law requires employers to provide training for each employee [3]. Zalk and Nelson state that on-site safety activities such as risk assessment (RA) are effective in reducing the occurrence of industrial accidents [4], and Nakano states that on-site safety activities such as “Hazard prediction activity (KY Activity: Kiken Yochi Katsudou in Japanese)” and managers educating workers at work sites, which constitute a toolbox meeting (TBM), are typical effective safety activities conducted at manufacturing sites for reducing the occurrence of industrial accidents [5]. However, few studies have identified the introduction of TBM to make workers perceive chemicals as “dangerous and harmful” in the painting industry in Japan.
In September 2018, Japan enacted JIS Q 45100, an occupational health and safety management system that includes safety activities unique to Japan, such as “KY Activity” and 4S (Sorting, Setting-in-Order, Shining, Standardizing). Generally, before starting work at a work site, workers gather in a small group to discuss the “hazards and harmfulness” associated with the work. During these discussions, information is shared and action goals are set, such as identifying potential dangers and determining the necessary personal protective equipment. In addition, safety measures are confirmed by pointing and calling at key points in the work process before taking any action [6–8]; this training is important to increase sensitivity to “hazards and harmfulness” daily and to improve problem-solving skills. Jeschke et al described a meeting between a supervisor and worker before work or during breaks, known as TBM or toolbox talk (TBT) in the construction industry [9]. These meetings involve the use of materials related to safety and health, such as machinery and personal protective equipment. These are commonly conducted in many small-and medium-sized companies in the construction industry. Although TBM is an effective method of safety and health education that can be implemented with limited resources in the construction industry, which comprises many small- and medium-sized companies [9–11], no studies have been identified regarding the introduction of TBM in the painting industry to recognize the hazardous and harmful of chemicals.
Regarding chemical safety and health education, Reed et al state that prework education using safety data sheets (SDS) that provide information on chemicals, past accident cases, and photographs showing the physical effects of chemical hazards is an effective method for improving workers’ perception of the risk of chemicals [12]. In the United States, hazard communication using labels and SDSs is recommended as a method of health and safety education based on the “Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)” established by the United Nations [13]. As described above, many various educational methods have been studied, and as a result, different types of education for perceiving paint as “dangerous and harmful” are being implemented in the field. However, some reports have indicated that workers are unaware that the chemicals they use are “dangerous or harmful” [14–16]. According to a report by Hanaoka et al, the protection of workers using harmful chemicals in small-sized companies is important for occupational health [14]. No investigations or studies have been conducted on educational methods designed to help workers in small-sized companies identify chemical substances as “dangerous or harmful.” With the introduction in 2024 of the new autonomous management of chemical substances, it is imperative that even small-sized companies in Japan, where the frequency of occupational accidents is higher than that of large companies, find an educational method to prevent chemical-related workplace accidents. More than 80% of companies in the Japanese painting industry are small-sized companies with fewer than 50 workers.
In this study, we focused on the painting industry, which uses organic solvents containing various chemicals. We administered questionnaires and conducted interviews with painters employed by small-sized companies in the painting industry. This study’s objectives were to identify factors strongly associated with workers’ perception of paints as “dangerous and harmful” and clarify effective safety and health education methods for making workers in small-sized companies recognize paint as “dangerous and harmful”.
Selection of Survey Subjects
Table 1 shows the questionnaire survey items. The targeted population for the questionnaire survey included workers aged 20 years or older in the industrial regions of northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi prefectures who performed painting operations at more than 10 different small-sized companies (less than 50 workers) within the painting industry and were constantly engaged in painting work.
The questionnaires were distributed using the snowball method to workers who were members of the Kitakyushu Painting Cooperative Association. A questionnaire was administered between February, 2022 and June, 2023. Face-to-face interviews were conducted, in addition to the questionnaire survey. As the targeted number was planned to be more than 10 survey participants, requests were also made to both workers of the Kitakyushu Painting Cooperative Association and other workers who were not members of the association but were engaged in painting operations in the same area.
The sample size, which was 88 in Fisher’s exact test, was determined using statistical software (GPower ver3.1). For Fisher’s exact test, effect size w = 0.3, α error prob (significance level) = 0.05, testing power (1– β error probe) = 0.8, and Df (degrees of freedom) = 1 were assumed [17]. Fisher’s exact test was two-tailed. The following parameters were assumed for the logistic regression analysis: effect size w = 0.15, error prob (significance level) = 0.05, testing power (1 error probe) = 0.80, number of predictors (number of explanatory variables) = 12, and a sample size of at least 127.
Questionnaire and Interview Survey Items
The questionnaire shown in Table 1 included questions regarding whether the workers perceived the paint as “dangerous or harmful,” such as “Q2: What do you think about paint?”. Items Q1 and Q3-Q8 were deemed relevant to the workers’ perception of paint [5, 9–12]; and six items pertained to their personal characteristics. The following are the eight items associated with the perception of paint with regard to education in the workplace, “Q1: Have you ever received training or advice on safety (dangerous or harmful effects of paint or coating operations) from your seniors in the workplace?”, “Q3: What do you consider the most effective safety education on dangerous and harmful?”, “Q3-1: Education at the time of employment”, “Q3-2: KY Activity”, “Q3-3: Chemical risk assessment”, and “Q3-4: On-site education (including guidance and advice) by senior staff and colleagues”. Four items regarding participation in RA were “Q4: Do you participate in RA at your workplace?”, “Q5: Are you aware of the RA results?”, “Q6: Are you aware of the tools used for RA?”, and “Q7: Have you ever been briefed (educated) on the content of RA?”. The items regarding SDS were “Q8: Have you ever read the SDS?” and “Q9-7: Have you ever been experienced absent from work due to an accident or injury in the workplace?” The six personal characteristics were gender, age, years of experience in paint handling, job position, size of establishment, and qualifications. In the interview survey, questions were asked about the method of education on the “dangerous and harmful” nature of paint, caution, innovations in promoting such education, and the effectiveness of RA implementation.
| Q1: Have you ever received training or advice on safety (dangerous or harmful effects of paint or coating operations) from your seniors in the workplace? | No experience |
| Experience | |
| Q2: What do you think about paint? | Safety |
| Dangerous and harmful | |
| Q3: What do you consider the most effective safety education on dangerous and harmful? | Q3-1. Education at the time of employment Unselected |
| Q3-1. Education at the time of employmen Selected | |
| Q3-2. KY Activity Unselected | |
| Q3-2. KY Activity Selected | |
| Q3-3. Chemical risk assessment Unselected | |
| Q3-3. Chemical Risk Assessment Selected | |
| Q3-4. On-site education (including guidance and advice) by senior staff and colleagues Unselected | |
| Q3-4. On-site education (including guidance and advice) by senior staff and colleagues Selected | |
| Q4: Do you participate in RA at your workplace? | Not Participating |
| Participating | |
| Q5: Are you aware of the RA results? | I don’t know |
| I know | |
| Q6: Are you aware of the tools used for RA? | I don’t know |
| I know | |
| Q7: Have you ever been briefed (educated) on the contents of RA? | No, I have not |
| Yes, I have | |
| Q8: Have you ever read the SDS? | No, I have not |
| Yes, I have | |
| Q9-1: Gender | Female |
| Male | |
| Q9-2: Age | Twenties |
| Thirties | |
| Forties | |
| Fifties | |
| 60s and over | |
| Q9-3: Years of experience | Less than 1 year |
| 1-5 years | |
| 5-10 years | |
| More than 10 years | |
| Q9-4: Job position | Secondary subcontractor |
| Prime subcontractor | |
| Q9-5: Size of establishment | Less than 5 people |
| Less than 5 to 10 people | |
| Less than 10 to 50 people | |
| More than 50 people | |
| Q9-6: Qualifications | Q9-6-1 Non operations chief of organic solvent |
| Q9-6-1 Operations chief of organic solvent | |
| Q9-6-2 Non operations chief of specified chemical substances and tetraalkyl lead | |
| Q9-6-2 Operations chief of specified chemical substances and tetraalkyl lead | |
| Q9-6-3 Non Foreman | |
| Q9-6-3 Foreman | |
| Q9-6-4 Non Health Officer | |
| Q9-6-4 Health Officer | |
| Q9-7: Have you ever been experienced absent from work due to an accident or injury in the workplace? | No experience |
| Experience |
KY Activity: Kiken Yochi Activity, RA: risk assessment, SDS: safety data sheets
Data Analysis Methods
Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the relationship between the question item asking whether workers perceived paint as “dangerous and harmful (Q2)” and the other 14 items considered relevant to their perception. Nine items were considered relevant to the participants’ perception of paint. Next, a logistic regression analysis (forced entry method) was conducted using the question item regarding whether workers perceive paint to be “dangerous and harmful” (“Q2”) as the objective variable and survey items for which a statistically significant relationship (significance level = P < 0.05) was found by Fisher’s exact test as the explanatory variables; further, odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and P-values were calculated. All statistical analyses were performed using the statistical analysis software EZR Version 1.6 [18].
The interviews were recorded with the study participants’ consent, and notes were written on the recording paper and recorded using an IC recorder. The list of words from the interviews was subjected to text mining using the free software KH Corder 3 [19]. The extracted compound words were “chemicals,” “risk assessment,” “xylene,” “health checkup,” “lacquer thinner,” and “hazard prediction.” The words “pronoun,” “person,” “verb,” “other,” “HTML,” “tag,” “paint,” “painting,” “work,” “organic,” and “solvent” were preprocessed for exclusion as excluded words, followed by a hierarchical cluster analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on the 30 words that occurred more than 40 times. The Ward’s method was used to classify these words, the Jaccard index for distance calculation as a similarity, and the Auto method for determining the number of clusters.
Ethical considerations
The Ethics Committee of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, approved this study (approval No. R2-075). The participants were asked to complete the survey or be interviewed after being informed of the purpose and content of the study in writing and giving their consent.
Results of Questionnaire Survey
Questionnaire survey collaborators
Table 2 presents the personal characteristics of the 133 respondents who consented to participate in the survey. The respondents were 88.0% men and 11.3% women; 0.7% did not answer. The age distribution was as follows: 23.3% were in their 20s, 21.1% in their 30s, 19.5% in their 40s, 16.5% in their 50s, and 17.3% in their 60s and older; 2.3% did not answer. The number of years of experience in handling paint was 14.3% for less than one year, 22.6% for 1–5 years, 13.5% for 5–10 years, and 48.9% for more than 10 years; 0.7% did not answer. Of the respondents, 51.9% were prime subcontractor workers; 42.9% were secondary subcontractor workers, and 5.2% did not answer.
| n | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Age (n=133) |
Twenties | 31 | 23.3 |
| Thirties | 28 | 21.1 | |
| Forties | 26 | 19.5 | |
| Fifties | 22 | 16.5 | |
| 60s and over | 23 | 17.3 | |
| Unanswered | 3 | 2.3 | |
Gender (n=133) |
Male | 117 | 88.0 |
| Female | 15 | 11.3 | |
| Unanswered | 1 | 0.7 | |
Years of experience (n=133) |
Less than 1 year | 19 | 14.3 |
| 1-5 years | 30 | 22.6 | |
| 5-10 years | 18 | 13.5 | |
| More than 10 years | 65 | 48.9 | |
| Unanswered | 1 | 0.7 | |
Job position (n=133) |
Prime subcontractor | 69 | 51.9 |
| Secondary subcontractor | 57 | 42.9 | |
| Unanswered | 7 | 5.2 | |
Office size (n=133) |
Less than 5 people | 31 | 23.3 |
| Less than 5 to 10 people | 57 | 42.9 | |
| Less than 10 to 50 people | 19 | 14.3 | |
| More than 50 people | 2 | 1.5 | |
| Unanswered | 24 | 18.0 | |
Qualifications (n=133)
(Multible answers) |
Operations chief of organic solvent |
44 |
33.1 |
| Operations chief of specified chemical substances and tetraalkyl lead | 8 | 6.0 | |
| Foreman | 37 | 27.8 | |
| Health Officer | 12 | 9.0 | |
| Other | 4 | 3.0 | |
| Unanswered | 74 | 55.6 | |
Whether or not you have experienced absence from work due to an accident or injury in the workplace (n=133) |
Experience | 6 | 4.5 |
| No experience | 123 | 92.5 | |
| Unanswered | 4 | 3.0 | |
Relationship between perception of paint as “dangerous or harmful” and other survey items
1 Fisher’s exact test
Table 3 presents the relationship between the perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful” and other questionnaire survey items. The most relevant factor for the perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful” was the experience of receiving education and advice on safety including “dangerous and harmful” from senior workers in the workplace, with 94.7% having received such education and 5.3% having not. Numerous survey participants received training and guidance from senior workers in their workplaces regarding the dangerous and harmful aspects of paint or coatings. Regarding the perception of paints used by the respondents, 74.4% of respondents answered that they were “dangerous and harmful”, while 25.6% that they were “safe”. Regarding the effective educational content of health and safety on “dangerous and harmful” nature of paint, 77.2% of those surveyed chose instructor-led training, 71.2% chose “KY Activity,” 34.1% chose RA, and 78.0% deemed on-site coaching by senior workers or coworkers as effective. Regarding RA activities at their workplaces, 35.3% participated and 64.7% did not. Regarding the recognition of RA results, 27.0% were aware of them and 73.0% were not.
Regarding the tools used for RA, 12.2% knew about them and 87.8% did not; 38.6% had received some explanation or education about the contents of RA, and 61.4% had never received such explanation or education. Regarding the experience of reading SDS, 65.1% had read them, while 34.9% had never done so. Table 3 also shows the results of Fisher’s exact test for the relationship between question “Q2” and the other survey items “Q1”, “Q3-2: KY Activity”, “Q8”, “Q9-1: gender”, “Q9-3: years of experience”, “Q9-4: job position”, “Q9-5: size of the establishment”, “Q9-6-1: Qualifications operations chief of organic solvent”, and “Q9-6-3: foreman”. These questions and personal characteristics showed statistically significant correlations with “Q2”.
| Q2: What do you think about paint? | n | P | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safe | Dangerous and harmful | ||||||
| n | (%) | n | (%) | ||||
| Q1. | No experience | 6 | (4.5) | 1 | (0.8) | 7 | 0.001* |
| Experience | 28 | (21.1) | 98 | (73.7) | 126 | ||
| Q3. | Q3-1. Unselected | 10 | (7.6) | 20 | (15.2) | 30 | 0.239 |
| Q3-1. Selected | 23 | (17.4) | 79 | (59.8) | 102 | ||
| Q3-2. Unselected | 16 | (12.1) | 22 | (16.7) | 38 | 0.007* | |
| Q3-2. Selected | 17 | (12.9) | 77 | (58.3) | 94 | ||
| Q3-3. Unselected | 23 | (17.4) | 64 | (48.5) | 87 | 0.675 | |
| Q3-3. Selected | 10 | (7.6) | 35 | (26.5) | 45 | ||
| Q3-4. Unselected | 7 | (5.3) | 22 | (16.7) | 29 | 1.000 | |
| Q3-4. selected | 26 | (19.7) | 77 | (58.3) | 103 | ||
| Q4. | Not Participating | 26 | (19.5) | 60 | (45.1) | 86 | 0.102 |
| Participating | 8 | (6.0) | 39 | (29.3) | 47 | ||
| Q5. | I don’t know | 28 | (21.1) | 69 | (51.9) | 97 | 0.184 |
| I know | 6 | (4.5) | 30 | (22.6) | 36 | ||
| Q6. | I don’t know | 31 | (23.7) | 84 | (64.1) | 115 | 0.761 |
| I know | 3 | (2.3) | 13 | (9.9) | 16 | ||
| Q7. | No, I have not | 24 | (18.2) | 57 | (43.2) | 81 | 0.150 |
| Yes, I have | 9 | (6.8) | 42 | (31.8) | 51 | ||
| Q8. | No, I have not | 21 | (15.9) | 25 | (18.9) | 46 | 2.850×10-4* |
| Yes, I have | 13 | (9.8) | 73 | (55.3) | 86 | ||
| Q9-1. | Female | 8 | (6.1) | 7 | (5.3) | 15 | 0.023* |
| Male | 26 | (19.7) | 91 | (68.9) | 117 | ||
| Q9-2. | Twenties | 13 | (10.0) | 18 | (13.8) | 31 | 0.175 |
| Thirties | 8 | (6.2) | 20 | (15.4) | 28 | ||
| Forties | 5 | (3.8) | 21 | (16.2) | 26 | ||
| Fifties | 3 | (2.3) | 19 | (14.6) | 22 | ||
| 60s and over | 5 | (3.8) | 18 | (13.8) | 23 | ||
| Q9-3. | Less than 1 year | 8 | (6.1) | 11 | (8.3) | 19 | 0.001* |
| 1-5 years | 14 | (10.6) | 16 | (12.1) | 30 | ||
| 5-10 years | 1 | (0.8) | 17 | (12.9) | 18 | ||
| More than 10 years | 11 | (8.3) | 54 | (40.9) | 65 | ||
| Q9-4. | Secondary subcontractor | 9 | (7.1) | 48 | (38.1) | 57 | 0.015* |
| Prime subcontractor | 25 | (19.8) | 44 | (34.9) | 69 | ||
| Q9-5. | Less than 5 people | 11 | (10.1) | 20 | (18.3) | 31 | 0.029* |
| Less than 5 to 10 people | 10 | (9.2) | 47 | (43.1) | 57 | ||
| Less than 10 to 50 people | 5 | (4.6) | 14 | (12.8) | 19 | ||
| More than 50 people | 2 | (1.8) | 0 | (0) | 2 | ||
| Q9-6. | Q9-6-1 Non operations chief of organic solvent | 28 | (21.1) | 61 | (45.9) | 89 | 0.034* |
| Q9-6-1 Operations chief of organic solvent | 6 | (4.5) | 38 | (28.6) | 44 | ||
| Q9-6-2 Non operations chief of specified chemical substances and tetraalkyl lead | 32 | (24.1) | 93 | (69.9) | 125 | 1.000 | |
| Q9-6-2 Operations chief of specified chemical substances and tetraalkyl lead | 2 | (1.5) | 6 | (4.5) | 8 | ||
| Q9-6-3 Non Foreman | 31 | (23.3) | 65 | (48.9) | 96 | 0.004* | |
| Q9-6-3 Foreman | 3 | (2.3) | 34 | (25.6) | 37 | ||
| Q9-6-4 Non Health Officer | 32 | (24.1) | 89 | (66.9) | 121 | 0.730 | |
| Q9-6-4 Health Officer | 2 | (1.5) | 10 | (7.5) | 12 | ||
| Q9-7. | No experience | 33 | (25.6) | 90 | (69.8) | 123 | 1.000 |
| Experience | 1 | (0.8) | 5 | (3.9) | 6 | ||
P-value: Fisher’s exact probability. Non-responses for each item were excluded from the data.
2 Logistic regression analysis
Table 4 shows the outcomes of logistic regression analysis using the survey items found to be related to “Q2” in the Fisher’s exact test, which were used as the independent variables. The factors significantly associated with “Q2” were: “Q3-2: KY Activity”, with an odds ratio of 15.2, 95% confidence interval of 2.42-95.4, and P-values = 0.004; “Q9-1: Gender”, with an odds ratio of 41, 95% confidence interval of 2.32-726, and P-values = 0.011; and “Q9-4: Job position”, with an odds ratio of 0.01, 95% confidence interval of 0.001-0.167, and P-values = 0.001 in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Males were more aware of the dangerous and harmful aspects of paints than females. Secondary subcontractors were more aware of the dangerous and harmful aspects of paints.
| Univariate | Multivariate | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds ratio | 95% confidence interval | P-value | Odds ratio | 95% confidence interval | P-value | |
| Q1: Have you ever received training or advice on safety (dangerous or harmful effects of paint or coating operations) from your seniors in the workplace? | 21.00 | 2.43-182 | 0.006 | 6.69 | 0.34-130 | 0.210 |
|
Q3: What do you consider the most effective safety education on dangerous and harmful?
|
3.29 | 1.43-7.56 | 0.005 | 15.20 | 2.42-95.40 | 0.004 |
| Q8: Experience reading SDS | 4.72 | 2.06-10.8 | 2.39×10-4 | 4.83 | 0.85-27.6 | 0.076 |
| Q9-1: Gender | 4.00 | 1.33-12.1 | 0.014 | 41.00 | 2.32-726 | 0.011 |
| Q9-3: Years of experience | 1.20 | 1.08-1.34 | 7.56×10-4 | 0.98 | 0.81-1.19 | 0.826 |
| Q9-4: Job position | 0.33 | 0.14-0.78 | 1.20×10-2 | 0.01 | 0.001-0.167 | 0.001 |
| Q9-5: Size of establishment | 0.98 | 0.95-1.02 | 0.37 | 1.01 | 0.95-1.06 | 0.819 |
| Q9-6-1: Qualifications (operations chief of organic solvent) | 2.91 | 1.10-7.67 | 0.031 | 0.71 | 0.12-4.29 | 0.708 |
| Q9-6-3: Qualifications (Foreman) | 5.41 | 1.54-19.0 | 0.008 | 9.58 | 0.95-96.1 | 0.055 |
P-value: Univariate logistic regression and multiple logistic regression analysis (forced entry method), Adjusted for RA participation, perception of RA results, knowledge of RA tools, experience of being. briefed on RA content, age, and experience of accidents or injuries at work. KY Activity: Kiken Yochi Activity, SDS: Safety data sheets.
Results of the interview survey
1 Interviewees
Eleven participants took part in the interviews. The interviewees’ age distribution was as follows: one person was in their 30s; two were in their 40s; four were in their 50s, and four were over 60 years old. All of them were men. One respondent had 1–5 years of experience in paint handling, and 10 had more than 10 years of experience. Three of the participants held management positions at their companies.
2 Text Mining Extraction
A total of 29,247 (1,632 sentences) words were extracted from the interview survey. The extracted words in order of frequency of occurrence were “paint” (391 times), “education” (257 times), “site” (243 times), “case” (198), “chemicals” (157 times), “hazard” (146 times), “risk assessment” (140 times), “explanation” (131 times), “SDS” (105 times), “person” (105 times), “experience” (97 times), “hazard prediction” (94 times), “content” (81 times), “protection” (81 times), “control” (77 times), “activity” (75 times), “need” (72 times), “ordering” (62 times), “understanding” (61 times), and “wearing” (54 times). Figure 1 shows a tree diagram of the hierarchical cluster analysis. To summarize the interview survey results, we focused on items that indicated the characteristics of each cluster rather than terms that were frequently included in each cluster.
Cluster 1 was named “education based on external information” because it included “maker”, “SDS”, “paint”, “hazard”, and “explanation”. Cluster 2 was named “education in the field” because it included “order(er)”, “information”, “coaching”, and “education”. Cluster 3 was named “chemical risk assessment” because it consisted of “chemical” and “risk assessment”. Cluster 4 was named “hazard prediction activities” because it consisted of “KY” and “activity”. Finally, Cluster 5 was named “wearing personal protective equipment” because it consisted of “protection” and “wearing”.
Results of hierarchical cluster analysis of interview survey.The length of the bar chart represents the frequency of the appearance of the word. KY: Kiken Yochi Katsudou; hazard prediction, SDS: Safety data sheets.
As shown in the results of the logistic regression analysis in Table 4, “KY Activity” was among those that led workers to perceive paint as “dangerous and harmful”, and Figure 1 indicates that it was considered a practical educational method for workers. This study’s findings indicate that daily safety and health education for painters based on “KY Activity” is effective in preventing industrial accidents.
The painting industry does not operate under a fixed working environment, as is the case with indoor manufacturing work; however, the perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful” is not uniform because the working environment may change daily due to the progress of construction, the work location, the types of materials to be painted, the workload, and changes in the weather. In addition, the painting industry generally has a multilayered subcontracting structure with different subcontractors or workers for each job, such as sole proprietors. Occupational accidents can be effectively prevented in the painting industry, which has special characteristics different from the manufacturing industry, if the owners and managers of small-sized companies accurately recognize the “hazardous and harmful” nature of paints daily and conduct safety and health education for each work environment using the “KY Activity,” as suggested by the results of this study. “KY Activity” includes safety and health activities standardized in JIS Q 45100, which is a standard unique to Japan. Generally, information on “dangers and harms” associated with the work is discussed in one small group as a “KY Activity” before starting work at a work site. Action goals, such as estimated points of hazard and the wearing of personal protective equipment, are set before taking action to confirm safety. “KY Activity” is a type of TBM and has been shown to be effective in reducing the occurrence of occupational accidents. Both TBM and “KY Activity” are points shared by workers to check and note the day’s work before starting it, and one of the features of the “KY Activity” is pointing fingers and calling out workers.
Gender and job position were found to be associated with workers’ perception of paint as dangerous and harmful. Regarding gender, more female than male workers were unaware of the dangerous and harmful effects of paint. This is assumed to be because men handle organic solvent-based paints more frequently than women do because of their work. With regard to job position, the fact that secondary subcontractors are more aware of the dangerous nature of paints may indicate that, compared to primary subcontractors, they are not provided with detailed information on paint composition.
Some reports have indicated that safety management based on safety activities using “KY Activity” by workers and supervisors and advanced technology has reduced the number of occupational accidents in the manufacturing industry and chemical plants in Japan [5, 20]. These results are among the information that support the findings of this study that “KY Activity” is an effective health and safety education tool for making people aware of paint as “dangerous and harmful.” It is important for senior workers to continue instructing by “KY Activity” on-site and to teach their skills to young workers.
This study has several limitations. First, it does not account for regional and industrial differences. We administered questionnaires and conducted interviews with workers in the representative Japanese industrial regions of northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefectures. Although the painting industry is a small part of the chemical handling industry, it handles various organic solvents and includes many small-size companies. It is thus a representative industry in which these small-sized companies engage in chemical handling operations. Repeatedly educating workers on the dangers and harmfulness of chemicals through “KY Activity” prior to work would be effective in improving their perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful”. We therefore believe that the results of this study are useful for increasing the awareness of chemicals as “dangerous and harmful” among small-sized companies that handle various chemicals. Second, although it is estimated that several thousand workers engage in painting operations in northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefectures, the number of such workers in this survey was only 133. Nevertheless, the sample size was sufficient for the analysis, with the required sample size calculated using statistical software (GPower 3.1) being 88 in Fisher’s exact test and 127 in logistic regression analysis. Third, it might be better to use only workers’ responses. More than 80% of the companies operating in the painting industry in Japan are small. Small-sized companies have few workers and managers; thus, it would be effective to obtain information from both workers and managers to improve the workers’ perceptions of paint as “dangerous or harmful”. Fourth, the targeted population for the questionnaire survey included workers aged 20 years or older who performed painting operations in more than 10 different small-sized companies (less than 50 workers) within the painting industry and were constantly engaged in painting work, and the targeted number of small-sized companies was considered about 10% of the companies involved in the Kitakyushu Painting Cooperative Association to be surveyed.
The results also revealed a correlation between gender, job position, and workers’ perception of paint as “dangerous and harmful”. Organic solvent-based paints are often used outdoors at high elevations in the painting industry. This is assumed to be because men handle organic solvent-based paints more frequently than women do because of the nature of their work. Gender and job position were found to be associated with workers’ perceptions of paint as dangerous and harmful. Female workers were less aware of paint as dangerous and harmful than male workers, presumably because males work with organic solvent-based paints more frequently than females do. The number of female respondents was relatively small (117 males and 15 females), and more surveys are needed to increase the number of female survey respondents and to include details on the frequency of paint use and the environments in which they work with paints. Regarding job position, secondary subcontractors are aware of the hazards of paints because, compared to primary subcontractors, they are not provided with detailed information on the composition of paints, and, conversely, they perceive all paints as dangerous and harmful. A detailed study of education and training for secondary subcontractors is warranted.
“KY Activity”, a unique educational method in Japan, has proven to be an effective approach for safety and health education among workers involved in painting operations. It helps workers perceive the dangers and harmful effects of paint, as evidenced by the interviews conducted in this study. This unique Japanese method involves discussing and sharing information about the potential dangers and harmful aspects of the work in a small group before starting a job. It includes identifying hazardous points, setting action goals, and using a technique called “pointing and calling” at key moments during work to ensure safety before taking action.
This research was supported by a grant from the MHLW (21JA0201) in the fiscal year 2021.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript.
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
