International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health (nepjol.info)
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Reduction of Workforce due to Impact of Covid-19 and Occupational Health and Safety Management at Workplace
Get PDFCOVID-19 pandemic has led to health crisis as well as slowdown of industrial activities throughout the world resulted in global economic loss. Safety measure of social distancing by workers at workplaces to prevent spread of corona virus leads to huge losses especially in the service sector jobs that depend on customer-provider interactions or involve the congregation of large number of people. Also, the process equipment and machinery may not function smoothly or will be unavailable as these are under continuous shut down during the lockdown period. As workplaces have been forced to cut down their expenditure and recheck their workforce to maintain social distancing, workers in industries are at a higher risk of losing their jobs.
Fewer workforces at workplace have increased workload on available workers along with fear of insecurity due to pandemic. Under these circumstances, the responsibility of the management is to keep balance between production, profit and safety at workplace as well as to keep employees motivated and free from the stressful environment due to pandemic. This paper addresses the challenges and the methods to prevent and mitigate occurring of accidents at workplaces which are having reduced workforce and malfunctioning of equipment and machinery as compared to pre-COVID 19 scenarios
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Electrical, Telecommunication and Instrument Mechanics of Armed forces
Get PDFBackground: Modern defence system has a significant role of electrical, electronic and instrument technicians in armed forces. Despite their intensive role, little is known about work-related musculoskeletal disorder in these technicians.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of the work-related musculoskeletal disorder in defence personnel involved in electrical and electronic maintenance and repairs.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out for 3 years, in Electrical, telecom and instrument defence technicians (N = 164). Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorder was assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Effect of age, working hours, work experience, Basal metabolic index and type of job on the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorder was investigated using logistic regression analysis.
Results: A total of 119 (72.56%) respondents reported work-related musculoskeletal disorder with 53.04% multiples & 19.51% single work-related musculoskeletal disorder. Simultaneous presence of neck, shoulder and upper back work-related musculoskeletal disorder were observed. Highest rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorder was in neck (44.44%), followed by shoulder (27.16%), ankle/ foot (14.81%), elbow/ forearm (12.96%), low back (11.72%) and wrist/ finger (9.87%). Neck (44%) related work-related musculoskeletal disorder were highest across all job crafts. Work experience (p = 0.012; OR = 0.87; 95% CI – 0.78- 0.97), working hours (p = 0.031; OR= 1.73, 95% CI – 0.58-5.12) smoking (p = 0.00 ; OR = 5.3, 95 % CI = 4.3 – 8.48) and job crafts like electrician (p = 0.434; OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.08-3.31) and telecom mechanics (p = 0.026; OR = 1.26, 95% CI =0.74 – 2.15) were significantly associated as risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorder.
Conclusion: High prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorder was observed in electrical, telecommunication & instrument mechanics, with higher multiple work-related musculoskeletal disorder. Working hours, work experience, job craft and smoking were highly associated with a work-related musculoskeletal disorder. We suggest suitable ergonomic intervention and awareness program along with smoking control drive to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorder
Knowledge of occupational health hazards and practice of personal protective equipment among fabrication workers in Kathmandu district, Nepal
Get PDFIntroduction: Fabrication work is one of the hazardous occupations in which workers are exposed to different occupational hazards and injuries. But the workers lack proper knowledge about protecting themselves from those hazards. This study was conducted, to assess knowledge about occupational health hazards among fabrication workers and to find out the practice of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in fabrication works.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 394 fabricator workers of Kathmandu District by using a multi-stage sampling technique. Participants were interviewed with a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: All the participants were male, and their ages ranged from 19-60 years with a mean age of 32.3 years. 71.3% of participants had work-related health complaints, among which arc eye (85.76%) was the most common. Among them, 87.1% had at least used one PPE. There was a significant association between awareness about occupational hazards and work experience of fabrication workers (p=0.001), and the practice of PPE with religion (p<0.01).
Conclusion: This study found that fabrication workers were aware of occupational hazards and the use of PPE during the fabrication work. But the practice of PPE was not enough to protect them from occupational hazards
Role of Nutrition in Occupational Health and Safety in the context of COVID-19
Get PDFNo abstract available
The Effect of Shift Fluctuations on Sleep Quality among Nurses Working in the Emergency Room in Amman, Jordan
Get PDFIntroduction: Sleep Quality disturbances are common among nurses especially those working in stressful situations such as emergency room. Additionally, sleep quality disturbances were found to interfere with nurses’ quality of life and work performance. No studies have found the effect of fluctuated shifts on sleep quality among nurses.
Objectives: To examine the impact of shift fluctuations on sleep quality among nurses working in the emergency room.
Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was employed. Five emergency rooms were selected from public and private hospitals located in Amman, Jordan. The selected hospitals were also referral sites with capacity of more than 200 beds. A convenient sample of nurses who had a minimum of six months experience in the emergency room and working on rotating shifts were eligible for participation. Nurses with known chronic respiratory problems and sleep apnea were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire including a demographic and work-related questions, and the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were provided. Shift fluctuations were clustered based on interchanging between morning, evening and night shifts.
Results: A total of 179 emergency nurses working in rotating shifts participated in the study. The majority of the nurses were poor sleepers. The study found no significant differences between different shifts interchange and sleep quality. However, interchange between morning and evening shift reported the highest sleep disturbance. Sleep quality was positively correlated with the length of experience, while negatively correlated with the age and the number of monthly shifts. Nurses who declared higher satisfaction and ability to work under pressure revealed better sleep quality.
Conclusion: Emergency room nurses showed poor sleep quality. While there was no specific shift interchange cluster inducing poor sleep quality, some demographical and work-related characteristics indicated their influence on sleep quality
Status of Migration and Its Perceived Effects in Khopasi, Kavrepalanchowk District: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Labor migration has become a means to make ends meet for low-income countries. It plays a key role to provide employment opportunities and has helped in the improvement of the standard of living. With the alarming rise of migrating workers, it becomes important to acknowledge the effects of migration on both the migrant workers in the destination country as well as families left behind at the place of origin. The objective of this study was to find out the status of migration of population in Khopasi village and their attitude towards the effects of migration on families left behind.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 residents of Khopasi, Kavrepalanchowk district from 10-15th November 2019. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the status of migration of immediate family members as well as the attitude towards migration and its effects.
Results: The prevalence of migrant workers was 39.8%. The process of migration was assisted by their migrated relatives 59 (19.1%) and by foreign employment agencies 30 (12.92 %). The expenses for migration were managed by bank loan 34 (33.34%). Among102 migrant workers, 54(52.9%) are still working abroad whereas 48 (47.1%) have returned to Nepal. The main reason for migrant workers to go abroad was unemployment 59 (57.8%) in Nepal. Out of 102 who migrated, most of them 39 (38.23%) have spent 1-3 years abroad while 76 (68.6%) send remittance regularly to their family members at home around 1-3 lakhs/year. Among all the migrant worker 37(36.27%) reported some form of disease and disability. There was a positive attitude toward family and the country’s economy but the overall attitude towards migration was negative.
Conclusion: In this study, remittance sent by migrant workers to their families was not adequate as there were no visible financial benefits and negative health consequences were also present. There are other impacts of migration like broken families, separation, difficulty in the rearing of children, mental health of elderly were seen on the families left behind. Various studies are required to further analyze the impact of migration other than remittance
Support networks in the Middle East & Malaysia: A qualitative study of Nepali returnee migrants\u27 experiences
Get PDFBackground: There is growing research on Nepali migrant workers, especially on living conditions and occupational health and safety abroad. However, few studied support networks for migrant labourers. Objective of this study is to explore social support and support networks among Nepali migrant workers in the Middle East and Malaysia.
Methodology: Study among Nepali men working in the Middle East and Malaysia. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted and the interviewees were mixed in terms of age, marital status, education, ethnic background and length of stay. Qualitative data were analysed thematically.
Results: The participants found that having (pre-)existing circles of friends in the host countries makes migration easier to migrate, and made their lives easier when establishing themselves abroad.
Conclusion: The assimilation of migrant workers appears to be easier among those who have existing networks in their place of migration. Social Capital Theory helps explain the importance of these networks
Investigation of Job Satisfaction and Occupational Safety Perceptions of Employees in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Study of Istanbul
Get PDFBackground: There exist many fatal occupational accidents in the works carried out in wastewater treatment plants.
Objective: This research was carried out to determine the relationship between job satisfaction levels and occupational safety perceptions of employees working in wastewater treatment plants.
Methods: In this study, a questionnaire including Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale and Occupational Safety Scale is applied to a total of 161 people aged 16-65 years working in two different Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Plants in Istanbul by simple random sampling. Statistical Package for Social Science version-22 was used. Seventeen hypotheses were analyzed to show the relation between the occupational safety perceptions and socio-demographic parameters of employees.
Results: The results show that there is no significant relationship between job satisfaction and occupational safety perception of the personnel working in wastewater treatment plants (F=0.096 and p=0.227 >0.05). On the other hand, it is found that there is a statistically significant difference between the level of job satisfaction perception and age of the employees (F=2.358 and p=0.002 <0.05), as well as monthly income ranges (F=4.126 and p=0.008 <0.05).
Conclusion: Consequently, the hazards associated with the work should be explained to employees of the wastewater treatment plant in detail. Furthermore, it is suggested to maintain an increase in wages to increase job satisfaction
Measuring the Causes of Saudi Arabian Construction Accidents: Management and Concerns
Get PDFIntroduction: Research indicate that construction site accidents are a global concern, and rates are rapidly increasing. In developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, safety issues are frequently ignored, and little is known about their causes.
Objectives: This study aimed to shed light on factors causing accidents in Saudi Arabian construction companies.
Methods: An online detailed survey, using Google Form, of accident features was distributed randomly to potential employees in 35 construction companies in Saudi Arabia, where one of the top administrators or safety officers were required to respond to the survey. It was conducted from 1st June to 31st August, 2013. The safety practices and perceptions of accident causes were assessed.
Results: The response rate was 63%. Over half of the surveyed organizations encountered all of the selected accident types. While 19 (86%) of the construction companies maintained the equipment regularly, 15 (68%) had regular maintenance staff and 13 (59%) inspected the equipment before use. Although 18 (82%) of the workers were supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE), only 12 (55%) emphasized its use and offered site orientation for new employees. In the last part of the survey, respondents were requested to rate 25 factors affecting safety performance at the construction sites on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important. The three most important factors of poor safety performance were the firm\u27s top leaders, a lack of training, and the reckless operation of equipment.
Conclusion: Changing attitudes of surrounding safety culture have the potential to significantly improve safety outcomes in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. Two Saudi Arabian corporations, Saudi Aramco and Saudi Chevron Petrochemical provide a positive model for increasing construction safety in the country, but there is a paucity of industry-level data. Further scholarly attention is strongly indicated