Occupational Health Safety: Protecting Health Care Workers Through Standard Precautions
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives
General Objective
To assess occupational health safety standard precautions among health care providers at University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital in Rivers state, Nigeria.
Specific Objectives
- To assess the awareness, knowledge, attitude and perception of workers about occupational hazards at the University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital.
- To determine the prevalence of occupational related diseases among healthcare workers.
- To assess the use of personal protective equipment among workers at the hospital.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Occupational Hazards.
Occupational hazards are defined as degree or risk posed by activities and programs engaged upon at workplace. In this regard, occupational hazards refer to all activities in the workplace that have the ability to promote the risk of infections and injury. Occupational safety on the other hand is controlling the hazards in the work place to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Safety in the work place general is the protection of the health and safety of staff while doing their various jobs. (Aluko et al, 2016).
Occupational health is defined as the whole of all the activities that are engaged in with the aim of attaining and maintaining the maximum level of health and safety for everyone who is involved in any employment whatsoever and this is done through the approaches of disease prevention, safety assurance and general health promotion (Agbana et. al., 2016).
Globally, Health Care Facilities (HCFs) employ more than 59 million staff to offer various services to clients and patients, and are full of hazards and high risks. Hospitals, like other high risk work places are fraught with maximum exposure to dangerous agents, which highly puts at risk the health and life of workers. Thus in their duties, workers may be exposed to dangers which highly affects their health and quality of life as well as their immediate and extended families. Thus, there is the need to protect HCWs from workplace hazards, including employees in other high risk environments like mining and construction work (Aluko et al., 2016).
Occupational health hazards in healthcare environment
The hazards in HCFs are grouped by WHO into biological, physical, ergonomic, mechanical, chemical and psycho-social (WHO, 2002). Various research have proven that occupational injuries and sicknesses among HCWs placed the highest of any organization though could be reduced. The prominent hazards to HCWs include blood-borne infections
[Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)], back pain, assault from patients, stress, exposure to hazardous chemicals, exposure to radiation, allergic reactions to latex materials; and so on. (Aluko et al., 2016).
These hazards can be grouped as follows: physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic factors, psychosocial and organizational problems (Niu, 2010).
METHODS
Study design
A cross-sectional design was used for this study conducted among Health care providers at the University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital, Rivers state, Nigeria.
The study dovulation included health care workers of the Universitv of Port Harcourt teaching hospital who were present at the time of the stud, Health care workers in this stud include nurses (Nurses. Midwives and Healthcare assistants). Doctors (Doctors and Phsician assistants).
RESULTS
Attitude and Perceptions about Occupational Hazards and Safety
The study found positive attitude towards occupational hazards and safety among study participants. Of the 246 health care providers who participated in this study, almost all 243 (98.8%) of them reported that matters of occupational hazards and safety concern them, 236 (95.9%) believed that they can sustain injuries in the hospital environment while 239 (97.2%) of them believed that they need to protect themselves while at work in the hospital.
In terms of workshop attended relative to occupational hazards and safety, almost half 117 (47.6%) had ever attended a workshop on occupational hazards and safety. Majority 157 (63.8%) of the respondents reported that they will seek for assistance from departments and staff in the hospital who are responsible for occupational hazards and safety issues.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
The study found high level of awareness and knowledge about occupational hazards and safety among healthcare workers. The hospital was the main source of knowledge and awareness on occupational hazards and safety. Educational level of respondents was found to be significantly associated with knowledge and awareness about occupational hazards and safety. The study established that respondents had a positive attitude towards occupational hazards and safety. However there was significant prevalence of occupational injuries and illnesses among the health care providers in this study.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were made for consideration by policy makers, policy implementers and researchers
REFRRENCES
- Agbana, B. E., Oladele, A. J., Daikwo, M. A., & Olufunto, M. L. (2016). Knowledge of Occupational Hazards Among Sawmill Workers in Kwara State, Nigeria, Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 25–32. http://doi.org/10.4103/11171936.180176.
- Aluko, O. O., Adebayo, A. E., Adebisi, T. F., & Ewegbemi, M. K. (2016). Knowledge , attitudes and perceptions of occupational health safety standard precautions in Nigerian healthcare workers Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of occupational health safety standard precautions in Nigerian healthcare workers. BMC Research Notes.
- http://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-016-1880-2
- Aminde, L. N., Takah, N. F., Dzudie, A., Bonko, M., Awungafac, G., Teno, D., … Sliwa,
- (2015). Occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ( PEP ) against Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV ) Infection in a Health District in Cameroon : Assessment of the Knowledge and Practices of Nurses, Journal Plos One,10, 1–12. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124416
- Anisha, M. (2009). Effectiveness of video assisted teaching programme on knowledge and practice of staff nurses regarding universal precautions at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, (vol. 27). Bangalore: Hospital and Research Centre.
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). (2011). Health care in danger: Making the case. Geneva, Switzerland: ICRC.
- http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4072.
- Lavoie, M., Yassi, A., Bryce, E., Fujii, R., & Logronio, M. (2010). International collaboration to protect health workers from infectious diseases in Ecuador, PubMed Commons, 27(5), 396–402.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20602074.
- Lugah, V., Ganesh, B., Darus, A., Retneswari, M., Rosnawati, M. R., & Sujatha, D.
- (2010). Training of occupational safety and health : knowledge among healthcare professionals in Malaysia, PubMed Commons, 51(7), 586–591.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20730400.
- Ncube, N. B. Q., Meintjes, W. A. J., Chola, L., Africa, S., Systems, H., Africa, S., … Knowledge, C. L. (2014). Knowledge and attitudes of non-occupational HIV postexposure prophylaxis amongst first- and second- year medical students at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, PubMed Commons, 1–9.
