Knowledge of Occupational Hazards among Cleaning Workers: A Study of Cleaners of a Nigerian University (original) (raw)
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Hazards of hospital cleaners in a tertiary health facility in Southwest Nigeria
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2015
Introduction: Hospital cleaning job is outsourced to companies that employ unskilled cleaners. Despite the importance of hospital cleaners little attention is paid to the work place hazards they are exposed to.Objective: This study therefore aimed at determining the prevalence of and factors associated with occurrence of work related hazards among hospital cleaners at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional study of 249 hospital cleaning staff was conducted. A semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics and work place related hazards. Descriptive statistics were done and associations were explored with the chi square test at 5% level of significance.Result: The mean age of respondent was 34 ± 7 years, (range 20 - 60 years), 142(57.0%) attended secondary school. In all, 67.7% of the cleaners spent less than 8 hours at work daily. Chemical hazards affected 79.1% females ...
Background: By profession, healthcare workers (HCWs) attend to clients and patients through a variety of preventive and curative services. However, while their attention is focused on providing care, they are vulnerable to hazards that could be detrimental to their health and well-being. This is especially true in developing countries where health service delivery is fraught with minimal protective precautions against exposures to numerous fomites and infectious agents. This study assessed the workplace hazards and safety practices by selected HCWs in a typical health care facility (HCF) in Nigeria. Methods: The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design and stratified sampling technique to identify 290 respondents. The study used mixed methodology and collected data by validated instruments with resulting data analyzed by IBM-SPSS, version 20. Results: The results showed that over half of the respondents were registered nurses, female, married (61.7 %) with 5 years median work experience (70.3 %). Most respondents (89 %) were knowledgeable about hazards in HCFs, identified recapping used needles as a risky practice (70 %) and recognized that effective hand washing prior to, and after every clinical procedure in preventing cross infection (100 %). Also, most respondents (96.2 %) believed they were at risk of occupational hazards while about two-thirds perceived the risk as high. In addition, only 64.2 and 87.2 % had completed Hepatitis B and Tetanus immunizations, respectively. Only 52.1 % " always " complied with standard procedures and most (93.8 %) practice safe disposal of sharps (93.8 %) while those that did not (40 %) generally implicated lack of basic safety equipment. In this study, the practice of hand washing by respondents was not influenced by occupation and education. Conclusions: The high level of knowledge demonstrated by respondents was at variance with practice, therefore, measures aimed at promoting safety practices and, minimizing exposure to hazards such as; provision of safety equipment , pre-placement and routine training of staff on safety practices and adequate reinforcement of staff capacity and capability through drills in all HCFs should be institutionalized and made mandatory. The protocol of the safety training and drills should be responsive to evidence-based emerging and sectoral safety challenges.
BMC Research Notes, 2016
Background: By profession, healthcare workers (HCWs) attend to clients and patients through a variety of preventive and curative services. However, while their attention is focused on providing care, they are vulnerable to hazards that could be detrimental to their health and well-being. This is especially true in developing countries where health service delivery is fraught with minimal protective precautions against exposures to numerous fomites and infectious agents. This study assessed the workplace hazards and safety practices by selected HCWs in a typical health care facility (HCF) in Nigeria. Methods: The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design and stratified sampling technique to identify 290 respondents. The study used mixed methodology and collected data by validated instruments with resulting data analyzed by IBM-SPSS, version 20. Results: The results showed that over half of the respondents were registered nurses, female, married (61.7 %) with 5 years median work experience (70.3 %). Most respondents (89 %) were knowledgeable about hazards in HCFs, identified recapping used needles as a risky practice (70 %) and recognized that effective hand washing prior to, and after every clinical procedure in preventing cross infection (100 %). Also, most respondents (96.2 %) believed they were at risk of occupational hazards while about two-thirds perceived the risk as high. In addition, only 64.2 and 87.2 % had completed Hepatitis B and Tetanus immunizations, respectively. Only 52.1 % "always" complied with standard procedures and most (93.8 %) practice safe disposal of sharps (93.8 %) while those that did not (40 %) generally implicated lack of basic safety equipment. In this study, the practice of hand washing by respondents was not influenced by occupation and education. Conclusions: The high level of knowledge demonstrated by respondents was at variance with practice, therefore, measures aimed at promoting safety practices and, minimizing exposure to hazards such as; provision of safety equipment, pre-placement and routine training of staff on safety practices and adequate reinforcement of staff capacity and capability through drills in all HCFs should be institutionalized and made mandatory. The protocol of the safety training and drills should be responsive to evidence-based emerging and sectoral safety challenges.
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Science, 2014
Background: Health attendants are constantly faced with the hazards inherent in their occupation. The objective of this study was to assess the occupational hazards exposures and their resultant effects on health attendants in health facilities in Warri South Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta state, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 199 health attendants selected from 37 hospitals within the LGA using Random Sampling Method. Data were collected by the interviewer and self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17 (SPSS Inc. Released 2008. SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc.). Statistical analysis involved the use of the Chisquare (χ 2) and t-test among others as applicable. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05 for all analyses. Results: Female workers accounted for 95.5% of the respondents; 98.0% had secondary level education and below. About 79.9% have not attended training courses on safety in the workplace. Many respondents (92.0%) believed that the occupation is hazardous. Among those that ever had injuries (26.6%), cuts and bruises accounted for (66.0%); followed closely by needle pricks (64.2%) and skin irritation/allergy (22.6%). Only 18.1% of the respondents had received hepatitis B vaccination. Only 50.8% and 10.1% respondents always wear hand gloves and protective boots, respectively. A significant association (P < 0.05) was found as those that have had training sustained fewer injuries than those who have not had training; also awareness about hazards is more among respondents with high educational status; those that have had training and those that have spent more years at work. Conclusion: Health attendants in this study are aware of the hazardous nature of their occupation, but still vulnerable to direct hazards exposure. We recommend that there should be mandatory standardized training and retraining of these hospital attendants on the potential hazards of their work and measures should be put in place to enforce the usage of personal protective equipment by this group of workers.
Asian Journal of Medicine and Health
Background: Healthcare professionals render various healthcare services to patients. However, in their duty to patients, they are exposed to occupational hazards that could be detrimental to their health and safety. In order to minimize exposure to these occupational hazards and prevent their detrimental effects on healthcare professionals, it is fundamental to assess the level of knowledge healthcare professionals have with regards to these health hazards. Objectives: The study was intended at assessing the knowledge of healthcare professionals at New Abirem Government Hospital on occupational health hazards and safety practices at the hospital. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative study approach was adopted in this study. A total of 171 participants were recruited from within the staff at the New Abirem Hospital. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the total 171 from the staff of 300. Questionnaires were administered to obtain data for the study and the admi...
Occupational Hazards among Health Care Workers in Nigeria
2023
Healthcare workers play a vital role in society by providing essential medical care and services. However, their occupational environment exposes them to a diverse range of hazards that can influence their health and well-being. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the occupational hazards faced by healthcare workers and the associated risks, focusing on healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. The study synthesizes existing literature on various types of hazards that healthcare workers encounter. These hazards include biological risks, such as exposure to infectious agents like viruses, bacteria, and fungi; chemical exposures from hazardous drugs, disinfectants, and sterilizing agents; physical hazards like ergonomic strain, needle stick injuries, and radiation exposure; and psychosocial hazards including stress, burnout, and workplace violence. In addition to identifying the factor that predispose the workers to this hazards, implementation of proper measures, use of personal protective equipment, ergonomic improvements, comprehensive training programs, and mental health support initiatives are discussed as vital steps in preventing the well-being of healthcare workers. The findings in this review emphasize the need for comprehensive interventions, including improved training programs, implementation of safety protocols, provision of adequate personal protective equipment, and enhanced support systems. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve in Nigeria, understanding and addressing occupational hazards is vital for ensuring the health and safety of healthcare workers, which can be achieved by raising awareness about the multifaceted challenges faced by healthcare professionals.
In today's world man lives in a " chemical age " as there is hardly any industry that does not make use of and or produce chemicals in the work process. So every person is exposed to many different types of chemicals in their occupation or environment. This is one of the most serious public health problems today that has drawn the attention at both national and global levels. Occupational hazards are those material substances, processes or circumstances that pose threat to health and well being of workers in all occupations. Most often the exposure is to several of these chemical agents simultaneously. Of utmost important is for the workers to be aware of these hazards, guide against exposure and to use safety devices in the work place. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the pattern of occupational hazards and provision of occupational health service and safety measures among workers of Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Ltd (KR PC). Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. All the industrial workers in the refinery constituted the study population. Cluster sampling technique was used to sample respondents in the 7 industrial Departments of the Refinery. Each Department constituted a homogenous unit from which the respondents were randomly selected. A structured open – ended and self administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Information sought was; socio-demographic characteristics, type of occupational hazards and exposure, knowledge of occupational safety and use of protective devices. Results A total of 250 respondents participated in the study. Most of the respondents were in the age range of 30-44 years. Majority of respondents (90%) were males, married (72.0%) and had completed tertiary education (78.0%) respectively. Majority of respondents (95.0%) knew and were aware of occupational hazards they are exposed to. These included chemicals (90.0%), noise pollution (64.5%) and machines (58.3 %.) Forty four percent (44%) of respondents have had injury in the course of their work. The commonest injuries among respondents were respectively cuts/lacerations (58.7%) bruises (15.6%), injury to the eye (6.4%) and amputation of the hand (1.8%). Types of chemical injuries sustained by respondents included gas/chemical inhalation (52.4%) burns (20.6%) and splash into the eyes (19.0%). Among ergonomic injuries, 64.5% had low back pain. Almost all the respondents (97.0%) were aware of safety measures in the workplace; and majority (92.1%) had had formal training on occupational safety. Most of the respondents (78%) admitted to regular use of protective devices. Reasons given for non-regular use were; feels uncomfortable (29.1%), makes work difficult to perform (25.5%) and no cogent reason (23.6%) Conclusion Despite the knowledge and awareness of respondents to occupational hazards and formal training in occupational safety, compliance rate is not encouraging. This deficiency needs to be addressed through public health awareness campaigns in the work place. It is further recommended that the inspectorate division of federal ministry of industry carry out periodic monitoring/supervision exercises in order to enforce adherence to and compliance with the regular use of safety devices. Through these, we can abate the occurrence of occupational hazards and injuries in Nigerian industries.
Innovare Journal of Medical Sciences
Objectives: The objectives of the study was to determine the occupational hazards HWCs face and the safety measure put in place to mitigate these hazards in a tertiary health institution in Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used to carry out this study among HWCs in a tertiary health institution. Data were analyzed with IBM-SPSS version 23 and statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Out of the 163 respondents interviewed, 50.92% of them had poor knowledge of occupational hazard while 49.08% had good knowledge. All the doctors interviewed had good knowledge as compared to a larger proportion of other HWCs who had poor knowledge of occupational hazard and this association was statistically significant. Most of respondents (96.93%) had positive attitude toward occupational hazard with few of them having poor safety measures to avoid injury in the work place. Conclusion: Majority of Health care workers with the exception of medic...
Background: Health care workers are continually exposed to occupational health hazards. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of some occupational health hazards and their reporting behavior. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in August 2014 among health care workers in a tertiary health institution in Bida, North-central Nigeria. A total of 200 health care workers from all the departments were included using the multi-staged random sampling technique. Relevant quantitative and qualitative data were collected using semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. The participants were divided into clinical health care workers and non-clinical health care workers. The frequency distribution of the variables were calculated and presented in the form of frequency tables and figures. Results: The overall prevalence of occupational health hazard was 56.8% (n = 108). The most common occupational health hazard among clinical health care workers were needle stick injury (40.7%) and infections with hepatitis B and C viruses (13.9%) and among the non-clinical health care workers were stress (32.8%) and back pain (10.3%). Majority of the health care workers who had occupational health hazards reported appropriately to the committee concerned. Conclusions: Occupational health hazards are common among hospital health care workers and were adequately reported. Training of the health care workers on measures to mitigate these hazards may also enhance the reporting behavior and its management when it occurs.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022
Background: Mortuary workers are exposed to several health hazards in the course of carrying out their duties. Adequate knowledge about these hazards and routinely engaging in safety practices is crucial to reducing the prevalence of occupational injuries and diseases. This study was carried out to determine the knowledge of workplace hazards and safety practices among mortuary workers in Kaduna Metropolis. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The total population of mortuary workers in Kaduna metropolis (102) participated in the study. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Results were presented using tables. Chi-square test of proportion was used to test for association between variables. The level of statistical signicance was set at p-value of <0.05. Results: Thirty ve (34.3%) of respondents were aged between 30 to 34 years; 73(71.6%) were male and 69(67.6%) had secondary level education. Eighty (78.4%) respondents had good knowledge of occupational hazards. Seventy one (69.6%) of the respondents had good occupational health and safety practices. There was a statistically signicant relationship between the practice of occupational health and safety and respondents' age (p=0.039), educational level (p=0.021) and knowledge grade (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The ndings from this study show that majority of the respondents had good knowledge, however, about a third of them had an aggregated practice score of less than 50% largely due to non-availability of necessary safety equipment. It is essential that the management in health facilities ensure sustainable provision of personal protective equipment.