A ground breaking doctoral study will go a long way in improving the working conditions of bakers as well as safeguarding their health.
Dr Roslynn Baatjies, a researcher in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, conducted an innovative intervention study on bakers’ asthma amongst a group of 500 bakery workers in the Western Cape.
Studies have shown a trend in bakers’ developing allergies as well as Bakers’ asthma from exposure to flour. However, few researchers have fully studied this trend or embarked on intervention studies.
Not one to shy away for a challenge, Baatjies, an expert in occupational allergies, says she was promoted to further investigate this problem after Groote Schuur’s Occupational Medicine Clinic reported an increase in the number of cases of bakers suffering with allergies.
With the buy-in of a national supermarket chain, Baatjies conducted studies in 31 bakeries, and using specialised equipment, measured the flour dust levels of the various jobs in the bakeries.
The study, a first of its kind in South Africa, found that bread bakers had the highest exposure to flour exposure as well as the highest risk of developing allergies and bakers’ asthma.
As part of the intervention, a training video on how to reduce flour dust was produced, bakers were advised to wear dust masks for specific high exposure tasks and to implement simple housekeeping rules in order to mitigate exposure in the workplace.
“We also designed a lid for the mixers and developed training methods for the bakers,” says Baatjies.
The bakers were divided into three groups – one group made use of the mixers with newly designed lids and training video, the other made use of the training video and implemented the new housekeeping rules, while the third group continued to work as normal.
“After a year we reassessed and found an overall 50% reduction in dust levels,” she says.
Baatjies also found an 80% reduction in flour dust in the group who made use of the mixer lids, improved dust control measures and who practiced better housekeeping in the workplace.
Thanks to Baatjies innovative study, the bakers’ risk of developing allergies or baker’s asthma is now much lower than before.
“The lids are fixed on all the mixers and the training video is part of the induction,” she says.
And Baatjies is not stopping there.
“We want to make recommendations to the Department of Labour to implement a standard for flour dust that is more in line with international standards,” she says.
“This is a way to change the working environment so that people can continue doing what they love to do.”
*The study, titled “Occupational risk factors and interventions for baker’s allergy and asthma among supermarket bakery workers” was conducted as Baatjies’ PhD in Public Health. She obtained her PhD from the University of Cape Town. Supervisor: Prof Mohamed Jeebhay
