Evaluation of Health Risks of Improper Biomedical Waste Management among Health Workers in Selected Hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-55
Author(s):  
Edith C Okechukwu
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Hospital Type ◽  
Biomedical Waste

Improper biomedical wastes management could lead to health risks and environmental hazards. The study aimed to evaluate the health risks of improper biomedical wastes management among health workers. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 health workers across private and public hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria, using a self-developed and administered questionnaire. Analysis of the data involved descriptive and inferential statistics. The Nurses were the predominant respondents (28%), and many respondents had bachelor’s degree qualifications (86%). The respondents agreed that health workers are exposed to several health risks following poor handling of biomedical wastes from the point of generation, transport, treatment, and disposal. The study revealed satisfactory practices of precautionary measures while experience, gender, and type of hospital were significantly associated with the transmission of blood-borne infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) through needle pricks and injuries from sharps (p<0.0001). Gender and hospital type were significantly related to environmental pollution (p<0.0001), and work experience was significantly linked to water and foodborne infections such as cholera and typhoid (p<0.0003). Work experience and hospital type were significantly associated with the public health risks of improper biomedical wastes management (p<0.0001). Training of health workers on appropriate safety procedures of biomedical waste management is essential to prevent occupational health hazards, achieve a safe working environment, and efficient health service delivery. Government and hospital management should enforce appropriate safety measures. Keywords: Biomedical Wastes, Health Risks, Infections, Injuries, Occupational Health Hazards.

scholarly journals Knowledge and practice regarding prevention of occupational hazards among traffic policemen in Kathmandu

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-45
Author(s):  
S Panta ◽  
M Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Compression Stocking ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Preventive Practices ◽  
Traffic Policemen ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

Occupational health hazards are hazards of exposure to pollution, noise and vibrations in the working environment (ILO). This study aim to find out the knowledge and practice on prevention of occupational health hazards among traffic policemen in Kathmandu valley. A descriptive study employing probability sampling was used to select 282 traffic policemen who were employed in the traffic police stations of Kathmandu. Where Self administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed by using SPSS such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and chi-square test. Findings depicted that less than half of respondents (40.4%) had fair knowledge on prevention of occupational health hazards. The highest mean percentage score was in the area of effects and prevention of dust or gas about 70%. The level of knowledge was found significant association with age (p=0.029), government provided by safety measures (p=0.021). More than half (54.6%) of respondents had poor preventive practices, such as wearing gloves, back support belts, compression stocking, apply sunscreen cream and wearing ear plug on duty hour. The level of practice was found to have significant association with age group of respondents (p=0.038), sex (p=0.009) and work experience (p=0.048). It is concluded that traffic policemen knowledge regarding prevention of occupational health hazards had fair knowledge but poor preventive practices. This study reveals the need for awareness program for prevention of occupational health hazards among traffic policemen

scholarly journals Assessment of Knowledge of Essential Supply Chain Functions among HIV/AIDS Supply Chain Workforce in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-111
Author(s):  
Sunday O Aguora
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Biomedical Waste

Effective and efficient biomedical wastes management is vital in the health care delivery system, safe environment and public health could possibly be achieved through the standard practices of the biomedical waste procedures with safety measures in place. The study was aimed to evaluate the practices and the level of awareness of health workers towards biomedical waste management in selected hospitals in Abuja. Data were collected by structured questionnaire and on- the-spot observation. Three private and three public hospitals that provided health care services in Abuja were surveyed. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Chi-square (χ2) test was used to determine the level of significance set at p<0.05. The male health workers were 220 (55.00%) and the female were 180 (45.00%) in the survey. The nurses were the highest number of respondents in the study with frequency percentage of 117(28.75%) followed by the laboratory scientists 96 (24.00%), Pharmacists 71 (17.75%, Doctors 64(16.00%) and other health care workers 54 (13.50%). The practices of handling biomedical waste among health workers was a significant factor of biomedical waste management (p<0.05). The awareness on safety measures among health workers was a significant factor of biomedical waste management (p<0.05). Improvement in the aspects of training retraining of health workers will go a long way to fill the lapses in the biomedical waste’s management practices. Government should establish policies and laws to enforce strict compliance in accordance with WHO stipulations.

Assessing the common occupational health hazards and their health risks among oil and gas workers

2021 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 105284
Author(s):  
Chizubem Benson ◽  
Christos Dimopoulos ◽  
Christos D. Argyropoulos ◽  
Cleo Varianou Mikellidou ◽  
Georgios Boustras
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Occupational Health Risks of Health Workers at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. S211
Author(s):  
Sonia Cobbold ◽  
Roderick E.L. Reindorf ◽  
Evans X. Amuzu
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Health Workers

Risks for Occupational Health Hazards Among Solid Waste Workers

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrad Bastani ◽  
Nurcin Celik ◽  
Danielle Coogan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Methods

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Please check back later for the full article. The volume of municipal solid waste produced in the United States has increased by 68% since 1980, up from 151 million to over 254 million tons per year. As the output of municipal waste has grown, more attention has been placed on the occupations associated with waste management. In 2014, the occupation of refuse and recyclable material collection was ranked as the 6th most dangerous job in the United States, with a rate of 27.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. With the revelation of reported exposure statistics among solid waste workers in the United States, the problem of the identification and assessment of occupational health risks among solid waste workers is receiving more consideration. From the generation of waste to its disposal, solid waste workers are exposed to substantial levels of physical, chemical, and biological toxins. Current waste management systems in the United States involve significant risk of contact with waste hazards, highlighting that prevention methods such as monitoring exposures, personal protection, engineering controls, job education and training, and other interventions are under-utilized. To recognize and address occupational hazards encountered by solid waste workers, it is necessary to discern potential safety concerns and their causes, as well as their direct and/or indirect impacts on the various types of workers. In solid waste management, the major industries processing solid waste are introduced as recycling, incineration, landfill, and composting. Thus, the reported exposures and potential occupational health risks need to be identified for workers in each of the aforementioned industries. Then, by acquiring data on reported exposure among solid waste workers, multiple county-level and state-level quantitative assessments for major occupational risks can be conducted using statistical assessment methods. To assess health risks among solid waste workers, the following questions must be answered: How can the methods of solid waste management be categorized? Which are the predominant occupational health risks among solid waste workers, and how can they be identified? Which practical and robust assessment methods are useful for evaluating occupational health risks among solid waste workers? What are possible solutions that can be implemented to reduce the occupational health hazard rates among solid waste workers?

scholarly journals Awareness and incidents of occupational health hazards among female workers of small scale food processing units of Punjab state

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47
Author(s):  
Ritu Gupta ◽  
Deepika Bisht
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Female Workers

Female workers have to work both in the industry as well as at the home to meet their family’s daily need. The work pattern in food processing units is very repetitive and exposes workers to several health risks. Lack of protective clothing and equipment also exposes workers’ health to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) hazards and diseases, thereby reducing their efficiency and productivity. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to explore the awareness and incidents of occupational health hazards among female workers of small scale food processing units. The study was carried out on 30 women workers engaged in small scale food processing units. The sample was randomly selected from five randomly selected food processing units of Punjab state. Personal interview method, using an interview schedule, and observation technique were adopted to collect the relevant data. Results revealed that most of the respondents were aware about many of the occupational health hazards related to their work and all the respondents were suffering from muscle pain and discomfort because of working in awkward posture for long working hours. Majority (85 %) of the respondents were aware about the regular use of Personal Protective Equipment/Clothing (PPE/PPC) at workplace, but only 33.3 per cent were using apron, 36.7 per cent were using gloves, 26.7 per cent were using face mask and 40 per cent were using head cover at the workplace. Also because of the pain in the lower back of the respondents, many of their routine activities got affected. The present study highlighted the occupational health hazards faced by the workers of small scale food processing units and the causes of health hazards. It will be beneficial for the workers and the employers of food processing units to take preventive measures to avoid or reduce any health risks at the workplace.

scholarly journals Biomedical Waste Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VII) ◽  
pp. 2875-2888
Author(s):  
Gaurav Khandelwal
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Medical Waste ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Biomedical Waste ◽  
Infectious Waste ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Care Waste

Bio medical waste (BMW) disposal is a very important yet a challenging task. Health care waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms, which can infect hospital patients, health workers, and the general public. Exposure to hazardous health care waste can result in disease or injury. The Government of India has been laying down rules, namely, Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, in 1998, COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent biomedical waste is an unprecedented challenge worldwide. Biomedical waste generated during COVID-19 patient isolation, testing and care needs special consideration as it challenges the previous notion that only 15–20% of waste can be considered infectious. With establishment of new home quarantine facility, isolation/quarantine centers the chances of general waste getting contaminated with biomedical waste has increased exponentially. The key step in COVID19 waste management is segregation of biomedical waste from solid waste. Waste generated from COVID19 patients is like any other infectious waste, therefore creating public awareness about the COVID19 waste hazards and segregation at source is highlighted in all guidelines as a recommendation.

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