Over the course of eight weeks, our DukeEngage Ghana cohort visited 100 auto-mechanic shops in the Greater Accra region, holding educational campaigns to auto-mechanics about the toxic heavy metals found in the used motor oil they work with every single day. In our three worksites, including Kokompe, Kokompe Annex, and Aburi, we distributed 480 pairs of gloves and 100 educational infographics, urging auto mechanics to take control of their health by implementing preventative measures including wearing PPE, washing their hands thoroughly with soap and water within 30 minutes of dirty oil contact, and washing their clothes at the shop to prevent their families from heavy metal exposure. In addition to fieldwork, we conducted interviews for qualitative self-reported health symptoms of auto-mechanisms based on their occupational practices. We found that many auto-mechanics lacked health literacy about the harmful effects of motor oil use and also were not aware of protective practices such as wearing appropriate PPE, washing hands after exposure, and eating with utensils. Finally, many mechanics reported worse health symptoms due to their jobs and also practice harmful habits like siphoning petrol and not washing their hands before eating.   

In the future, we hope to collect longitudinal data to track changes in health literacy, PPE use, and reported symptoms over time following educational outreach. Additionally, we hope to use the data collected to partner with Ghana Auto Mechanics Association Health Service to expand outreach across Ghana and further advocate for policy changes, such as improving access to affordable PPE, creating occupational health regulations, and implementing oil recycling programs.