Table 2 Comparison of exposure characteristics of gold mine workers who presented with and without cutaneous abscesses, 21 February 2018, n = 58
Characteristic | Mine workers without cutaneous abscesses (N = 43a) | Mine workers with cutaneous abscesses (N = 15a) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â | n (%) | n (%) | Â |
Sex | Â | Â | 0.32 |
 Female | 6 (100) | 0 (0) |  |
 Male | 37 (71) | 15 (29) |  |
Age | Â | Â | 0.96 |
 Mean age (SD) | 39 (9) | 39 (9) |  |
Residence | Â | Â | 0.24 |
 Mine hostel | 6 (67) | 3 (33) |  |
 Living out | 37 (77) | 11 (23) |  |
Work type | Â | Â | 0.67 |
 Stoping | 29 (73) | 11 (27) |  |
 Roving underground | 1 (50) | 1 (50) |  |
 Shaft and services | 2 (100) | 0 (0) |  |
 Traming | 1 (100) | 0 (0) |  |
 Other | 1 (50) | 1 (50) |  |
HIV status | Â | Â | 0.87 |
 No | 32 (71) | 13 (29) |  |
 Yes | 7 (88) | 1 (12) |  |
History of smoking | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 31 (74) | 11 (26) |  |
 Yes | 12 (75) | 4 (25) |  |
History of alcohol consumption | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 22 (73) | 8 (27) |  |
 Yes | 21 (75) | 7 (25) |  |
Cuts/Scratches over the last week | Â | Â | 0.64 |
 No | 39 (75) | 13 (25) |  |
 Yes | 4 (67) | 2 (33) |  |
Frequency of wearing protective clothing | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 Always (100%) | 39 (75) | 13 (25) |  |
 Most of the time (80%) | 3 (75) | 1 (25) |  |
Sharing of protective clothing | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 40 (74) | 14 (26) |  |
 Yes | 1 (100) | 0 (0) |  |
Sets of protective clothing used in one shift | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 One set | 10 (77) | 3 (23) |  |
 Two sets | 27 (73) | 10 (27) |  |
 More than two sets | 6 (75) | 2 (25) |  |
Change into protective clothingb | Â | Â | 0.49 |
 Mine change rooms | 21 (78) | 6 (22) |  |
 Underground | 11 (65) | 6 (35) |  |
Store protective clothing | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 Mine change rooms | 23 (74) | 8 (26) |  |
 Underground | 9 (75) | 3 (25) |  |
 Place of stay | 11 (73) | 4 (27) |  |
Rinse protective clothing with untreated water | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 8 (57) | 6 (43) |  |
 Yes | 7 (64) | 4 (36) |  |
Bring protective clothing to surface | Â | Â | 0.29 |
 After every shift | 31 (79) | 8 (21) |  |
 Once a week | 3 (60) | 2 (40) |  |
 Twice a week | 2 (100) | 0 (0) |  |
 Never | 2 (50) | 2 (50) |  |
Daily wash of protective clothing | Â | Â | 0.66 |
 No | 6 (86) | 1 (14) |  |
 Yes | 30 (73) | 11 (27) |  |
Place where protective clothing were laundered | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 Place of stay | 14 (74) | 5 (26) |  |
 Mine laundromat | 26 (72) | 10 (28) |  |
Wash at mine change rooms after a shift | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 4 (80) | 1 (20) |  |
 Yes | 36 (73) | 13 (27) |  |
Worked in a different section of the minec | Â | Â | 1.00 |
 No | 27 (73) | 10 (27) |  |
 Yes | 14 (78) | 4 (22) |  |