International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health (nepjol.info)
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Challenges of limited reuse and extended use of N95 filtering facepiece respirators: Lesson learnt from COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai, India
Get PDFIntroduction: Usage of personal protective equipment, which includes N95 filtering face piece respirators (FFRs), was the major preventive measure for healthcare workers to control COVID-19 transmission. However, a global shortage of N95 FFRs was observed worldwide during initial phase of pandemic. Reusing mask was the only strategy and various decontamination methods were suggested. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the compliance rate of limited reuse and extended use policy implemented in hospital.
Methods: Limited reuse and extended use policy of N95 FFRs was implemented for one month in lower risk areas. Compliance to policy was checked by questionnaires asked to 100 healthcare workers verbally and challenges faced by them were noted.
Results: It was observed that overall compliance to policy was 80%. Major reasons of non-compliance were suffocation, followed by smell from mask and loosened strips.
Conclusion: Limited reuse and extended use method was successfully used as a bridge until sufficient N95 FFRs were not available although effective decontamination method must be established in hospitals to prepare ourselves for the future pandemics
Burnout among healthcare professionals in Nepal: An analytical study
Get PDFIntroduction: The greater risk of burnout among healthcare professionals is likely to develop an adverse effect on their personal life and the patients’ care. The main aim of this study was to assess the levels of burnout experienced by healthcare workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to March 2021 among healthcare professionals working in different institutions. A convenient sampling technique was applied. An online questionnaire was developed using Google Forms. Results: The total burnout score among health professionals ranged from low (9.5%), moderate (89.5%) to high (1%). The burnout scores reported were of moderate level among doctors (89%) and nurses (92.2%). There was a negative correlation between burnout and compassion satisfaction (r = - 0.207: p<0.003). Healthcare professionals perceived burnout from time pressure (22.2%), followed by administrative work (20.1%) and dealing with patient’s relatives (13.5%). The identified effective way to minimize burnout was family support (29.1%), friends (21.2%), and their interest/hobbies (15.4%). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals in Nepal bear a moderate level of burnout. The main sources of burnout experienced by health workers were time pressure, administrative work, and dealing with patients’ relatives.
 
Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and their association with ergonomic physical risk factors among women working in tea gardens of Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India
Get PDFIntroduction: Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) is common among tea-plucking folks and may be attributed to the long duration of work in same posture, the load they carry while plucking and transporting the leaves to the nearest depot, improper job rotations and the difficult hilly terrains.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and pattern of musculoskeletal disorders among tea garden workers and to ascertain the risk factors for the same.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 female tea garden workers employed in tea gardens of Darjeeling district using 30 cluster sampling design. Data on musculoskeletal morbidities were collected using Standard Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and ergonomic risk was assessed by Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) worksheet.
Results: Proportion of musculoskeletal disorders in past 12 months was 92.4% and in past 7 days was 71.4%. Upper extremities were the most commonly affected body part. Higher altitude, age, BMI, more duration in present job, history of work related injuries and increased REBA risk assessment score were found to be significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders.
Conclusion: Musculoskeletal morbidities among female tea garden workers of Darjeeling were found to be considerably high. Ergonomic mechanised assistance in tea plucking can reduce this proportion of MSD and thus may go a long way in reducing sickness absenteeism and increasing productivity.
Financial support and sponsorship - Nil.
Conflicts of interest - There are no conflicts of interest
Serological markers of Hepatitis B virus infection among Health Care Workers in Accra, Ghana
No full textIntroduction: The prevalence of HBV among the Ghanaian population is high and also occupational exposures to blood and body fluids that could potentially result in HBV infection is also high among HCWs. However the distribution of serological markers of HBV infection among Health care workers remains largely unknown. The aim of the study was to describe the distribution of HBV serological markers among the Ghanaian HCWs.
Methods: A hospital based cross sectional survey involving 363 HCWs drawn from five health institutions selected through stratified random sampling procedure was undertaken. A structured pretested questionnaire was the research instrument that was utilized to collect data from health care workers who also gave 5mls of venous blood to be evaluated qualitatively for the presence of five serological markers of HBV. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) procedure was subsequently undertaken to detect IgM HBcAb. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.
Results: The predominant HBV maker among the population was Anti-HBs; 57.4% (195/340) and the least was HBeAg; 1.5% (5/340). One third (123/340) of the HCWs were naïve to HBV. Lifetime exposure to HBV (Anti-HBc) prevalence was 8.2% (28/340) (95% CI= 5.0%-11).
Conclusions: Even though Anti-HBs is the predominant antibody marker identified among the population of HCWs evaluated, one third of the participants still remain susceptible to HBV infection. Protective measures need to be instituted to prevent new infections among HCWs who are currently naïve to the virus. Sanitary workers or orderlies need to be given special consideration in HBV prevention campaigns.
 
Prevalence of Protective Measures and Accident Among Motorcycle Riders with Road Safety Compliance in a Nigerian Semi-Urban Community
Get PDFIntroduction: The operation of commercial motorcycles has eased transport difficulties, but an increased rate of road traffic collisions, injuries, and deaths deserve attention. This study aimed to evaluate compliance with road safety preventive measures and accident prevalence among motorcycle riders in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey that employed a structured questionnaire for collecting information related to compliance to protective measures and accident prevalence. A stratified random sampling technique was used to identify respondents from 20 motorcycle parks. Also, a multistage probability sampling method was used to select 374 respondents from all motorcycle parks listed. Data analysis was done using IBM-SPSS version 25.0
Results: Of the 374 respondents, 69.0% owned motorcycles and 31.0% hired/rented theirs. Less than half (45.7%) of all riders were aware of the implications (health, financial, and psychological) of a motorcycle accident (MCA). Only 39.5% of owners and 59.5% rented/hire knew the implications (p<0.001). Helmet use was significantly higher among owners (76.4%) than hired/rented (55.2%), p<0.001. More owners (70.9%) had protective jackets than rented/hired (57.8%) (p<0.05). Availability of bright/reflective clothing was poor (45.7%) though significantly higher among owners (50.0%) than rented/hired (36.2%) (p<0.05). Overall accident prevalence was 45.2%, significantly higher among rented/hired riders (56.0%) than owners (40.3%) (p<0.005). Respondents aged 18-24 years were more involved in MCA (52.9%) than the other age groups (p<0.05). Respondents with no formal education had more accidents (73.1%) than the educated (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The knowledge of the consequences of motorcycle accidents was limited among motorcycle riders in Ado-Odo, and the prevalence of accidents was significantly higher among riders who rented/hired motorcycles than owners. Therefore, there is a need for accident documentation and cost implication of motorcycle accidents in the local government areas; this will help policymakers design intervention programs. Also, there is a need for regular training of the riders on road safety measures and the associated benefits
Health-associated infections and COVID-19 in Mexico: safety and health rules at work or job biosecurity?
Get PDFThe pandemic caused by COVID-19 has grown exponentially from the first reports from China in December 2019 to November 2020. Cases have been reported in more than 180 countries, totaling more than 61.8 million cases of COVID-19 throughout the world and more than 1.4 million deaths. Health personnel, being exposed to the care of COVID-19 patients with high viral load, have the risk of developing infections associated with health care, their high morbidity and mortality being of multifactorial origin. Given that the term Biosafety and Occupational Biosafety has been used internationally, this term does not have wide acceptance in the scientific community and in the case of Mexico it is not referred to and it is not defined in the Mexican legal framework or current regulations. Far from being handled and understood as an isolated concept, this term should be referred to as multiple concepts, being recommended in the workplace in Mexico not to use it, suggesting referring to the Safety and Health Regulations at Work, whose mandatory application will allow reducing healthcare-associated infections
Perceived work-related stress and coping strategies among critical care nurses – A preliminary study from Sri Lanka
Get PDFIntroduction: Work-related stress has become a major concern among the nurses over the years. Nurses experience a high level of work-related stress when work demands exceed their ability to cope. The study aimed to assess the perceived work-related stress level and coping strategies among nurses working in Critical Care Units at a Base Hospital in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among all staff nurses (105) working in critical care units. Data were collected using a validated and pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. A Perceived Stress Scale developed by Cohen et al. (1983) and validated in Sri Lanka was used to assess the work-related stress, along with coping strategies. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPSS version 21. Results: Around 30% of nurses had higher level of perceived stress while 45% had moderate level of perceived stress. Nearly 81% of nurses stated that religious activities are used as a common coping strategy. In addition, 96% of them used ‘positive thinking’ while 70% of them used ‘time management’ as the main coping strategy. Conclusion: The prevalence of work-related perceived stress among critical care nurses was high. Further, nurses use various emotion focused coping strategies such as regular engagement in religious activities and positive thinking and problem focused coping strategies such as time management and talk with friends/loved ones to overcome the work-related stress
Occupational Hazards Exposure and Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Meat Safety amongst Abattoir Workers, Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFIntroduction: Food-borne diseases and occupational problems due to poor knowledge, attitude,s and practice towards safe food handling practices in developing countries are common. The purpose of the study was to determine occupational hazards exposure and to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice towards meat safety among abattoir workers.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 216 abattoir workers from December 1st to February 30th, 2018 in Hawassa city. Systematic random sampling and semi-structured questionaries were used to collect data. Ethical approval for data collection was obtained from Hawassa University.
Results: The study indicated that the majority of them had fair knowledge (42.3%), positive attitude (43.8%), and fair practice (45.3%) towards food safety and compliance with abattoir law. The study also revealed the positive relationship between knowledge and attitude (p<0.01); knowledge and practice (p<0.001), attitude and practice (p<0.01). The main three frequently reported occupational hazards were ergonomic hazard (19.7%), mechanical hazard (18.9%), and psychological hazard (16.7%).
Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a poor level of knowledge, negative attitudes, and poor practices of abattoir workers towards meat handling, and compliance with the abattoir law. The study also found that occupational-related hazards most common in this work setting, which are persisting were needed to be improved, through training and occupational health and safety service
Occupational health hazards and use of personal protective equipment among auto mechanics in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: Auto mechanics are workers who repair and overhaul cars and other automotive vehicles, or their systems and parts. The main objective of the study was to assess knowledge of occupational hazards and the use of safety measures among automobile repair artisans in Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among 400 auto mechanics working garages in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The data collection was done from May 15th to Jun 13th, 2019.
Results: Among the 400 respondents, only 31% had adequate knowledge about occupational hazards due to vehicle repairing. Age, educational status, working hours, years of employment and pre-service training were found to be associated with knowledge on hazards. Two-thirds (63.5%) of the surveyed workers knew the use of PPE and this knowledge was statistically significant with age, educational status, working hours and pre-service training. The study showed that only half (53.5%) of the respondents use one or more PPE during their work despite being exposed to lots of hazards in the working area.
Conclusion: Knowledge on health hazards was inadequate. Also, there was a difference in knowledge on PPE and its use. So, there is a need to put the knowledge into practice
Human Machine Interaction (HMI) in Offshore Drilling - oil rig workers’ opinion about their interaction with machines
Get PDFIntroduction: There are huge numbers of drilling platforms in the world and once the worker on those platforms meet with an accident, the situation could be very serious. The consequence of this could be environmental, economic and in some cases fatal. Middle East, being one of the oil rich regions hence some of the largest operator works here. Companies here own various types of jack up rigs ranging from old generation rigs to the latest cyber-rig. This paper addresses what oil rig workers have to say about their interaction with machines, and how Human Machine Interaction (HMI) in Offshore Drilling can be improved with design.
Methods: A case study approach was undertaken The analysis in this paper draws on the interviews conducted with two different employees involved in operating the drilling operations conducted in the driller’s cabin of newly designed offshore rigs. A semi-structured approach was adopted, using themes identified through analysis of the preceding. The interviews were transcribed by the research team. Each interview was analyzed thematically with existing system and reported discrepancy
Results: The study on Human Machine Interaction (HMI) and Human Factor regarding this has been conducted in the latest generation cyber rigs. There are many aspects of HMI and ergonomics but in this study a special concentration has been given to deal with the ergonomic standpoint and evaluates the drillers console controls.
Conclusion: When comparison is done with the existing machinery, few modifications can be thought of for better human machine interaction. A better human machine interaction system will ensure a more productive environment for the oil-rig workers