International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health (nepjol.info)
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Domestic Injuries and Physical Agents: A Disregarded Health Issue among Housewives in Raipur, India
Get PDFIntroduction: Housewives perform various household works both inside and outside the home, which may cause domestic injuries and ill health. Domestic injuries are usually sustained due to exposure to various physical agents. The objectives of the current study were to find out the various physical agents, the prevalence of various types of domestic injuries & to find out the association between domestic injuries and selected physical agents.Methods: In this study 500 housewives aged more than 18 years from villages of Raipur, Chhattisgarh were selected by multistage stratified random sampling. Demographic information, the occurrence of domestic injuries, and the factors associated with injuries were collected by questionnaires, interviews, and observation technique. Collected data were analyzed by using SPSS 16 statistical package.
Results: Results showed that the mean age of housewives was 39.27 (±12.07) years and the majority of them were between 22-35 years of age group. Data revealed that 59% of housewives had suffered from domestic injuries. Out of them, the majority were suffering from vision problems (45.1%) and headache (36%), 21% suffered from heat, 15% got cut and 14.8% had fire burn from home environment. Around 14% got eye irritation and 12.8% of housewives had experienced falls on the floor. A significant association was found between injuries and physical agents.
Conclusion: The study concluded that housewives are exposed to various physical agents in their own homes, which contributes to the prevalence of various types of domestic injuries among them. Housewives themselves and family members have to be aware of those physical agents present in their home which silently affecting their health
Occupational health hazard among Security Guards in Kathmandu District, Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: The job of security guard is to protect the property and the people who reside or work on the premises where they guard. The occupational safety requires the maintenance and the promotion of workers’ health and working capacity by improving the working environment and the development of working organizations. The aim of study was to assess the occupational health hazards among the security guards and to find association between occupational health hazards with demographic variables.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the security guards across Kathmandu district from 20th December 2020 to 8th January 2021 using convenient sampling technique. The data was collected by direct interview method using the structured questionnaire.
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 36.5 years with standard deviation 9.54. Males were 88.5 %. Most of the respondents (74%) were married. Majority of the respondents (78%) were Hindu by religion. The prevalence of Muscle pain was 70%, one fifth of the respondents (20%) had lower back pain. The Neck pain, elbow-hand- wrist pain and upper back pain each was present in 10% of the respondents.
Conclusion: The muscular pain was not significant difference with demographic variables age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, religion and education status. The muscle pain was found higher in low worked experience of the security guards and not statistically significant
Occupational health and safety of the frontline healthcare workers in Nepal in COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFOccupational health and safety (OHS) is essential for every professional especially healthcare workers who work day and night serving patients. According to the WHO, health workers should not face any kind of workplace violence during their professional activities. Attention should also be paid to the mental and psychological health of healthcare workers and their protection should be of paramount importance. OHS related policies, rules and regulations have been formulated in Nepal. According to the law, the responsibility of the OHS of the employees has to be taken by the concerned organization.
In Nepal, during the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers have to take the risk of infecting themselves while providing care for the patients. This has led to the infection of thousands of health workers and we have also lost quite a few healthcare workers in the line of duty in Nepal. On one hand, there is a psychological fear of acquiring COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers despite adopting health and safety measures, while on the other hand, in case of infection they will have to pay for the treatment from their own pockets. Sometimes ICU and ventilator services are not available not only in their working hospital but also in government referral health institutions which have given rise to incidences that healthcare workers themselves have to be admitted to other hospitals for the treatment. In such a situation, not just mental but also a financial burden has been added to the healthcare workers
Impact of COVID-19 on employees’ emotional health: A conceptual model
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc on the mankind and caused dramatic disruptions in personal and professional lives of the people. With economies at the verge of collapse, businesses pushed to a standstill, forced alterations in work environment, and uncertainty about the future, this global health crisis has severely impacted employees and organizations. The virus has not only impacted employees physically but also psychologically as they experienced plethora of intense emotional fluctuations. In this regard, the present study aims to synthesize and analyze the existing literature on the subject and present a conceptual framework to aid understanding of the emotional repercussions of pandemic for employees and organizations at large. The extensive review of literature suggests that the perilous crisis resulted in numerous negative emotional outcomes which majorly converge into three i.e. stress, burnout, and depression. This emotional turmoil gets further reflected in employees’ performance at work and thus a conceptual model is developed to holistically capture and present such varied impacts of pandemic on employees. The study also posits that the deleterious emotional impacts can have grave ramifications for the organizations and thus, seek immediate attention of the organizational leaders, managers, and policy makers. Against this backdrop, the practical implications of the study are mentioned and recommendations are made, that may help employees and organizations to survive and sustain any such future crisis situations
Use of personal protective equipment among waste workers of Sisdol landfill site of Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: Solid waste management is a major issue in Nepal with Kathmandu valley generating the highest amount of solid waste. After recovery, the solid waste generated in Kathmandu valley is transferred to the Sisdol landfill site. There are waste workers in Sisdol landfill site who sustain their livelihood by collecting recyclables from those wastes. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary to protect the frontline waste workers against infection. In addition, the waste workers need to know the proper usage of PPE in order to protect themselves from contamination. This study aimed to assess the awareness and proper usage of PPE along with the challenges faced by the waste workers at Sisdol landfill site.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from landfill waste workers of Sisdol located at Kakani Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district of Nepal. A convenience sampling method was used based on the availability of landfill waste workers on that day and their willingness to participate. The data was collected using the structured questionnaire and personal interview of available waste workers.
Results: The study comprised of 65% female and 35% male waste workers. The highest percentage of waste workers belong to 27-37 age group occupying 43% of total respondents. Around 92% waste workers had participated in any orientation/training or session related to PPE and its usage. About 60% landfill waste workers were found only using mask and gloves.
Conclusion: There is small number of waste workers who wish to wear full set of PPE. Most of them only like to wear mask and gloves. The gender, age group and the education level of waste workers had no association with the usage of PPE during the work
Job Satisfaction among School Teachers in Duwakot, Bhaktapur District, Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: Job satisfaction is one of the determinant factors for professionals. The job satisfaction concerning school teachers reflects their strong motivation towards their job. This study aimed to measure the job satisfaction among teachers of Government and Private schools of Changu Narayan Municipality.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at seven government and five private schools of wards no. 1 and 2 of Changu Narayan Municipality Bhaktapur District, Nepal over one month (20th April - 19th May 2021). Schools of Changu Narayan Municipality Ward No. 1 and 2 were purposively selected. The data was collected through validated questionnaire on Job Description Index (JDI)8 which consists of 17 domains. Data were entered in Excel and data analysis was done in SPSS version 20.
Results: The overall job satisfaction was 65.77±11.52 which indicates that the majority of teachers were highly satisfied with their job.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate job satisfaction among school level teachers was satisfied in their occupation especially in teaching profession. The domain sources of job satisfaction in school teachers appear to be work itself, coworker, relationship with students and sense of achievement. Whereas motivation in profession is most likely to be less job satisfaction among Government and Private schools
Association between Work Experience and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among the Clinical and Teaching Physiotherapists of Gujarat, India – An Observational Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are present universally where physiotherapists are found to be at higher risk of being affected due to the postures attained at work. This can lead to excessive exertion associated with significant discomfort and pain in joints. In addition to these, the anatomical, physiological and physical characteristics of males and females are disparate so gender-based differences may also affect. However, the paucity of data for correlating the years of experience with MSDs was found in Gujarat. Hence, the present study was undertaken to investigate the association between the prevalence of MSDs with an increase in work experience among the physiotherapists of Gujarat.
Methods: This was an online cross-sectional survey study where 322 physiotherapists were included after gaining informed electronic consent. Prevalence rates were found by employing a standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and non - parametric tests were used for data analysis.
Results: Present study showed no statistically significant relationship between the increase in work experience and work-related MSDs prevalence. It was also observed that females (68.63%) have more prevalence compare to males (61.19%). The majority f the physiotherapists reported complaints of MSDs in the lower back (41.30%) and neck (37.58%) regions.
Conclusion: It is inferred that the chances of being affected by MSDs do not increase with years of work experience. Moreover, female physiotherapists are more prone to MSDs. Thus, early identification and interventions through ergonomic advice and physiotherapy can prove to be very effective in declining the rate of MSDs to a notable extent
Assessment of Leadership Style and Safety in Oil and Gas Servicing Firms in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria
Get PDFIntroduction: Safety leadership is the process of interaction between leaders and followers, through which leaders exert their influence on followers to achieve organizational safety goals under the circumstances of organizational and individual factors.
Objective: This study was aimed to assess leadership style and safety in oil and gas servicing firms in Portharcourt, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the junior-staff of the oil servicing firms. The Taro Yamane equation was used to generate appropriate sample size of 389 respondents from 16240 workers. Data analyses was done using analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: It was established that 230 (59%) respondents agreed that, leaders checked staff work on a regular basis to assess their progress and learning. Many respondents (62%) averred that leaders didn’t gave any incentives for extra work. Also, 338 (87%) respondents adduced that changes in policies were discussed with workers before they were carried out but, the input of the workers were not required, neither staff were expected to be innovative as opined by 76% respondents and leadership emphasis on the importance of quality was sustained. Albeit, workers weren’t allowed to contribute to control standards based on perception of problems. The characteristics of leadership displayed in the companies imply the transactional type. This was because the rapport between workers and leaders wasn’t cordial.
Conclusion: The study therefore strongly recommends a review of the leadership style adopted for oil and gas workers in the area, while improving on the worker/leader relationships
Lung Function Impairment and Workplace Control Measures among Marble Stone Carvers in Sa-Kyin Village, Madayar Township, Myanmar
Get PDFIntroduction: Marble rocks, composed of dust containing calcium carbonate and silica particles, predispose to a higher prevalence of occupational lung diseases. This study aimed to assess workplace control measures and lung function impairment among marble stone carvers.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 120 marble stone carvers in Sa-Kyin Village, Madayar Township in May 2019. Information about existing control measures in the workplace was assessed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and participants’ lung function using spirometry. Respirable dust measurements in twelve randomly selected workers were performed by personal air sampling pumps.
Results: It was found that 9.2% of marble stone carvers used disposable or cloth masks throughout the working time, but no one was found using appropriate devices like respirators. No one reported about regular medical checkup and provision of health education at the workplaces. Spirometry testing showed 55.8% had lung function impairment. Concentrations of respirable dust ranged from 7.19 to 10.13 mg/m3, significantly higher than the recommended Threshold Limit Value (3 mg/m3). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, development of lung function impairment was associated with age [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 2.84; 95% CI = 1.02,7.91] and use of face mask (aOR = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.01,0.91).
Conclusion: The working environment was found dusty, and a significant proportion of workers had lung function impairment. It is essential to adopt proper dust control measures in stone carving workplaces. Preventive measures like medical surveillance and health education program are vital to reduce the burdens from occupational lung diseases
Urban firefighting: Qualitative exploration of occupational challenges faced by firefighters of Kathmandu valley, Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: Urban firefighting is a challenge however very less is known about how the firefighters manage on addressing fire disasters when it occurs or what sort of health risks they generally face. The health risks in firefighting are abundant however very less is explored, in regard to the Nepalese context. This study thus aims to explore general characteristics and potential stress causing factors among urban firefighters of Kathmandu valley as Nepal lacks any such study. Methods: A qualitative study design with in-depth interview questions were used to interview 15 currently employed firefighters and the station in charge of Kathmandu valley and thematic analysis was done to derive results. The study was conducted in two phases, the first phase including the use of locally translated and validated DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety and Depression Scale) tool to identify potentially stress suffering firefighters while the second phase included use of in-depth interview (IDI) and key informant interview (KII) format to explore stress causing factors among firefighters. Results: The results showed that most firefighters were stressed due family separations, difficult PPEs, lack of human resource adequacies, income insufficiency, underwhelming response at active site and lack of health addressing programs in the station. The firefighters additionally mentioned stress due to recurring bluff calls and unmanaged traffic in the city. Conclusion: Despite the solvable problems, the station lacked standard operating guidelines, physical fitness and mental well-being programs, deemed essential for the occupation in general. Therefore, concerned authorities must prioritize the needs of urban fire station and firefighters