Occupational Health and Safety Hazards Experienced by Healthcare Workers at Two Hospitals in Suyani, Bono Region, Ghana

INTRODUCTION Occupational safety and health (OSH) is generally the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards arising in or from the workplace. The study sought to assess and evaluate occupational health and safety hazards experienced among health workers in the Bono region of Ghana. METHODOLOGY The study was descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study. Data was from two hundred (200) health workers and was analyzed using the binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS The findings from the study show that risk factors associated with biological hazards were clinical staff [OR = 2.487 (1.146 - 5.397), p = 0.021], poor maintenance of hospital items [OR = 0.446 (0.240 - 0.831), p = 0.011], assault (verbal) abuse [OR = 2.581 (1.317 - 5.059), p = 0.006] and extreme pressure from work [OR = 2.975 (1.519 - 5.829), p = 0.001]. Non-biological hazards were associated with being single [OR = 0.499 (0.263 - 0.947), p = 0.034], being verbally assaulted [OR = 3.581 (1.865 - 6.876), p CONCLUSION Risk factors related with biological hazards include poor maintenance of hospital items and extreme pressure from work whereas non-biological hazards were associated with being single, being verbally assaulted. Clinical healthcare providers are more vulnerable to occupational health and safety hazards. The study recommends the provision of strategic policies to promote and protect the workers’ health based on the development of the epidemiological profile of health, needs to be readjusted and strengthened.

Occupational exposure to flour dust among bakery workers:prevalence,potential hazards and promising interventions

Occupational exposure to flour dust within bakery environments presents significant health hazards to bakery personnel.Flour dust,generated as a byproduct during baking,becomes airborne during the baking process,thus constituting a respiratory threat.Adverse health consequences include respiratory diseases,skin irritation,allergic reactions,and potential long-term health impacts.Data indicates that a broad segment of bakery workers encounters exposure to flour dust,with specific subgroups,such as bakers and dough mixers,being particularly susceptible.Contributing factors to this exposure encompass insufficient ventilation and a lack of awareness.It is vital to assess exposure levels through air quality monitoring and health surveillance.Efficient interventions encompass engineering solutions(e.g.,ventilation systems,dust extraction),administrative measures(including training and the use of personal protective equipment),and the implementation of occupational health and safety programs.Collaborative efforts with healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities are paramount for achieving success.Case studies underscore the effectiveness of such interventions,resulting in improved worker health,thus underscoring the advantages of protective measures.Challenges in this endeavor include industry resistance to change,financial considerations,and issues related to compliance.Future recommendations entail further research,policy enhancements,and the involvement of industry stakeholders and labor unions in advocating for worker safety.

Examination of Common Occupational Hazards among Healthcare Workers in a University Healthcare Center in Southeastern Nigeria

Background: Healthcare workers are challenged by an imposing group of occupational hazards. These hazards include exposure to biological and non-biological hazards like ionizing radiation, stress, injury, infectious agents, and chemicals. The aim of this study was to assess common occupational hazards among health workers at the Department of Health Services (DHS), Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was employed for the study, and a self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The SPSS Version 22.0 software was used for the analysis of the descriptive statistics obtained from the study. This study included both clinical and non-clinical health workers. A purposive sampling technique was used in recruiting a total of 94 respondents who participated in the study from September 2020 to April 2021. Results: A total of 94 respondents who participated in the study and among the participants, 33.3% (31) of the respondents were aged 31 - 40 years, and the majority of the health workers, 43.6% (41) had stayed between 1 - 5 years. Also, 92.6% (87) of the health workers have heard of occupational hazards. The study showed that 84.0% (79) of health workers had good knowledge of common occupational hazards. Biological hazards among health workers are 47.9% (45) cuts and wounds, 29.8% (28) direct contact with contaminated specimens/hazardous materials, and 26.6% (26) sharp related injuries, while for non-biological hazards, 44.7% (42) have slipped, tripped or fallen, and 35.1% (33) have been stressed. Common safety measures include 86.2% (81) washing their hands regularly;78.7% (74) using hand gloves;and 85.1% (80) agreeing they use face masks. Conclusion: Despite good knowledge of occupational hazards, participants at DHS were faced with certain hazards. It is recommended that the university, government, and policymakers revise and implement actions to provide health workers at DHS with equipment to encourage safety in work activity.

Occupational risk assessment based on employees’ knowledge and awareness of hazards in mining

Analyses and assessments of hazards occurring in work processes are carried out by teams,in which there is usually one representative of the personnel,as the embodiment of the active participation of employees in the assessment of occupational risks.This is why the article presents research on all employees’knowledge and awareness about risks in their work environment.The research was carried out in the form of an employee survey in one of the open-pit mines,at workstations dealing with the loading and transporting of excavated material.The survey included a list of 40 hazards divided into four groups:(1)hazards related to machines and equipment used,(2)hazards related to exposure,(3)hazards with an impact extending beyond the workstation and(4)hazards of an ergonomic nuisance nature,where employees were required to indicate which hazards apply to their workplaces and determine their level of signifcance,probability of occurrence and the scale of possible efects.In this way,a hierarchical identifcation of threats occurring at the analyzed workplaces was made,and the obtained results were used to determine the amount of occupational risk both for specifc workstations and for the whole technological process.The measures of the magnitude of occupational risk obtained using the proposed method have showed that,according to the respondents,greatest risks at the workstation are associated with moving machines and vehicles and with mobile equipment.Equally important risks,which were often mentioned by employees,were those directly related to their health,i.e.,related to ergonomic nuisance and exposure.Threats resulting from geological and mining conditions,considered typical for mining,were important for the surveyed miners but they were not the most important owing to proper prevention,good organization of work and high safety culture The active involvement of the crew in the process of assessing occupational hazards allowed to identify the signifcance of each hazard,in the opinion of the personnel working at various places and to use this ranking for determining occupational risk levels in the mining company concerned.The research has also outlined another goal to be achieved:a comparison of the relative signifcance of hazards identifed by the employees and of the hazards listed in occupational risk assessment matrices used by mines.

Occupational Hazards, Safety and Hygienic Practices among Timber Workers in a South Eastern State, Nigeria

Background: Timber workers, especially in developing countries, are faced with challenges of prevention and control of work place hazards and illnesses. Objective: To determine the awareness of occupational hazards, effects, safety and hygienic practices among timber workers in a South Eastern State in Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive design that used the total population of timber workers involved in the processing and marketing of wood in three major timber markets in a South Eastern State in Nigeria. Data was collected using a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were done with frequencies and summary statistics. Results: The majority of the respondents were aware of the hazardous nature of wood dust (96%) and their main source of awareness was from personal experiences (55%). In spite of the fact that the predominant hazard effects in the majority were nose, throat irritation and cough (33%), the majority were of the opinion that the respirator was not important. Only 13% of the respondents that use personal protective equipment (PPE) always use them and the main reason for not using PPE is forgetfulness (38%). Proper hygiene and sanitation was poorly practiced, as all respondents indiscriminately disposed of waste wood (100%) and about one third (33%) did not have a bath after work each day. Conclusion: Timber workers in our environment are faced with increased risks of diseases, accidents and challenges of protection and safety. As a consequence, there is a need for proper education and enforcement of consistent use of the different protective devices.

Investigation of Occupational Hazards in Transport Wharf of Liquid Chemicals

Occupational health management of liquid chemical transport wharf is still in its infancy,to grasp the occupational health status of employees in the industry and improve the occupational health management level of employees,taking the liquid chemical transport wharf of an enterprise as the investigation object,according to the relevant domestic occupations.Hygiene standards,using the combination of on-site occupational hygiene survey and workplace occupational hazard factors detection,identify the occupational hazard factors of the wharf and detect the degree of hazard.The survey results show that the overall occupational health of the wharf is basically good,but the noise index is slightly exceeded.It is suggested to further improve the occupational health management level of the wharf by improving the protection technology and strengthening the administrative management.

Research Progress on the Occupational Hazards and Protective Measures of Emergency Department Nurses

The emergency department is a department that is crucial for medical institutions.It is mainly responsible for rescuing critically ill patients and dealing with all kinds of public health emergencies.There are significant differences in the working environment and working mode between the nurses in emergency departments and those of other departments.They tend to come into contact with various occupational risk factors,resulting in high incidence of occupational hazards and accidental injuries.Therefore,it is necessary to analyze the common occupational risk factors of nurses in the emergency department and propose protective measures to ensure that these nurses are able to provide nursing services safely and effectively.

Study on Occupational Hazards and Preventive Measures for the Constructors in Building Qinghai-Tibetan Railway

To analyze the hazard factors for the constructors through the geographic environment along the Qinghai-Tibetan railway. On the basis of the physical examination data of the constructors, we dynamically investigated the impact of the plateau environment on the constructors’ health. We concluded the adaptation after the plain people entering into the plateau, and the application of the medical security measures and the effectiveness of the Plateau diseases preventing and controlling measures during the construction of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway. The results showed that there existed many occupational hazard factors because of the harsh environment in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, and they did a severe harm to the constructors. To take an effective prevention measure could apparently alleviate the occupational hazards, and ensure the safety and health of the constructors. The paper not only provided the valuable experiences for the medical support during the economic construction in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau areas in the future, but also made a contribution for improving the development of the world plateau medicine.

THE DEVELOPMENT AND STATE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN CHINESE FORESTRY

This paper is a surve of the development and current state of occupational health andsafety in Chinese forestry and a general introduction to the administrative system and structure ofworking health and safety in the Chinese forestry system.It also describes some accomplishments ofthe administrative units of forestry occupatiomal safety in recent decades and the important roles ofinvestigation and research in forestry accidents.Some suggestions and schemes for developing scientif-ic research on occupational health and safety its application in forestry production are presented.

Evaluation of Occupational Risk Factors for Healthcare Workers through Analysis of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Claims Database

The purpose of this study is to evaluate occupational risk factors for nurses and CNAs by analyzing the Florida workers’ compensation claims database. Risk factors for the cause of injury, nature of injury, body part injured, and demographic and lifestyle factors were evaluated for a sample of CNAs, nurses, and restaurant servers. The results identified falls, lifting, being struck, and pushing and pulling as major causes for injury among nurses and CNAs as compared to servers. Regarding the nature of injury, sprains and strains constituted the majority of claims for nurses and CNAS with the lower back being the body part most commonly injured in a claim. The results of this study indicate that nurses and CNAs are at far greater risk for physical injury than injury or illness from chemical or biological exposures. It is recommended that emphasis must be placed on interventions for musculoskeletal injuries such as falls and lifting, taking into account environmental factors such as age and lifestyle factors that further exacerbate risk for injury.

Investigation on Occupational Disease Inductive Factors ofA utomobile Manufacturing Enterprises and Evaluation of Control Effect

The automobile manufacturing industry has a complex process and various processes,so it has buried many occupational-disease-related safety hazards and is the industry of high incidence of occupational diseases.Accurate identification and effective control of hazards in automobile manufacturing are an important guarantee for effective prevention of occupational disease.In order to investigate the types and status of occupational-disease-inductive factors of a car manufacturer,and evaluate the control effect,the general situation of the enterprise is collected from August 2016 to October 2017.And then the targeted treatment,including management measures,engineering protection and personal protection.The occupational-disease-inductive factors that are mainly produced in automobile manufacturing are productive dust,chemical substance and physical factors.

2021-2022年洛阳市涧西区作业场所职业病危害因素的监测结果及具体防控策略研究

目的统计洛阳市涧西区各作业场的职业病危害因素,分析职业病发生的主要原因,并探讨具体防控策略。方法收集洛阳市涧西区内2021年1月—2022年12月期间针对各作业场的职业病危害因素监测信息,录入Excel 2010进行数据统计;随机抽取辖区内200名重点职业从业人员,开展回顾性分析,结合职业健康检查结果,将确认存在职业病的115名从业人员列为病例组,其余未发生职业病的85名从业人员列为对照组,比较2组一般资料、临床资料,经统计学单因素、Logistic多因素回归分析归纳可导致职业病发生的影响因素,结合分析结果,探讨具体防控措施。结果针对辖区内15家厂矿企业,2021年共设立584个监测点,共测得68处锰及其化合物危害、48处矽尘危害、4处苯及其苯系物危害、12处噪声危害,超标率为22.60%(132/584);2022年共设立1575个监测点,共测得158处粉尘危害、154处锰及其化合物危害、10处矽尘危害、13处噪声危害,超标率为21.27%(335/1575);单因素分析结果显示,2组从业人员的年龄、工作年限、职业类型、体检频率、体检结果等比较差异均存在统计学意义;Logistic多因素回归分析显示,年龄≥50岁,工作年限≥10年,从事制造业、采矿业,未规律体检,血常规异常,免疫力差,X线胸片异常,双耳高频听力阈值≥40 dB均是发生职业病的重要原因(均P<0.05)。结论洛阳市涧西区的职业危害因素以粉尘、锰及其化合物为主,高龄、工作年限长的制造业、采矿业人员发生职业病的风险相对较高,优化职业病防治措施并规范上述重点人群的职业健康体检能实现对职业病的有效防控。

某油田泵房噪声危害现状及防护技术调研

主要阐述了根据某油田16家单位近三年职业病危害定期检测噪声测量结果,分析归纳职工听力测试结果异常人员的主要分布情况,从噪声测量结果入手,针对泵类设备较多、设备噪声较高、噪声大于90dB(A)泵房数量较多的单位进行现场调研,结合检测数据和现场调查,得出调研结论,提出防护建议,改善噪声作业的工作条件,保护劳动者的健康。

广西17家胶合板生产企业的主要职业卫生问题调查分析

目的:探讨广西17家胶合板生产企业存在的主要职业危害因素、职业防护设施效果以及对工人健康的影响,为减少职业性危害、保护工人身心健康提供科学依据。方法:以17家胶合板生产企业为观察对象,通过职业病危害因素检测和职业卫生调查,对主要职业卫生问题进行综合分析评价。结果:17家胶合板生产企业木粉尘、甲醛、噪声、高温的超标率分别为5.6%、28.1%、24.9%、29.1%。17家噪声超标,5家木粉尘和甲醛超标,仅2家高温超标。生产防护设施的防尘、防毒符合率为98.3%,防暑设施符合率为88.2%,噪声防护设施符合率为76.5%。个人防护用品佩戴与使用符合率为52.9%,安装洗眼喷淋装置符合率为58.8%。17家企业总体检率为42.6%(705/1654),体检异常检出率为14.6%,其中听力、胸部X线片、肺功能异常检出率分别为7.4%、2.1%、1.7%。结论:广西17家胶合板生产企业的主要职业卫生问题是木粉尘、甲醛、噪声、高温,尤以噪声较为突出。针对木粉尘、甲醛的防控效果较好,对于高温、噪声的防控措施需要进一步加强。

煤矿工人职业健康研究进展的知识图谱分析

为研究煤矿工人职业健康的发展趋势,促进煤炭企业实施职业健康防护工作,基于知识图谱分析方法,采用CiteSpace软件分析中国知网(CNKI)和Web of Science(WoS)核心数据库中收录的近20年煤矿工人职业健康文献的关键词聚类及突现。研究结果表明:煤矿工人职业健康研究可分为职业健康危害因素、职业病及职业相关疾病三维度。职业相关疾病主要体现在行为和身心疾病、心脑血管疾病与代谢性疾病及慢性非特异性呼吸系统疾病3个层面;与职业病相比,职业相关疾病多呈现为“多因一果”特征,确诊难度更大;基于高频词突现特征,尘肺、听力损失、心理压力、高血压等是煤矿工人健康的主要威胁,此类健康问题与职业暴露有关,风险评价与管控是应对危害的重要措施;新兴研究热点为职业相关疾病的成因与防范,及职业健康与脑科学、智能化等领域的交叉研究。

我国灵活就业群体的工伤保障研究——政策现状与发展方向

数字经济的快速发展推动灵活就业群体的迅速扩张,灵活就业占比已经超过全部就业人群的1/4。灵活就业群体的工伤保障缺失问题愈发凸显。对中国灵活就业群体的发展壮大历程和工伤保险政策演变进行了梳理研究,对工伤保险存在的整体覆盖面低、参保人数高和享受保障人数少、低风险职业参保比例高和高风险职业参保比例低以及保险基金结余高的突出问题作了分析。以平台就业为例,发现灵活就业工伤保障缺失的原因包括劳动关系的缺失、社会保险缴纳成本较高并存在明显的道德风险问题。基于引导灵活就业群体社会保障正规化的角度,从顶层法律完善、机制设计、加强保障水平和强化配套等方面提出政策建议。

2017—2022年重庆市江津区重点职业病监测结果

目的分析重庆市江津区近年重点职业病监测结果,为制定重点职业病防治提供科学依据。方法收集2017—2022年重庆市江津区重点职业病监测和工作场所检测数据,对重点监测职业病危害因素分布情况、在岗期间劳动者体检情况、重点职业病危害因素工作场所现场检测情况、新发职业病报告情况进行描述分析。结果共纳入2017—2022年重庆市江津区接触5种重点职业病危害因素69345人次,以接触噪声为主(占74.56%),职业健康体检率99.72%。疑似职业病检出率为0.17%,职业禁忌证检出率1.13%;不同年份、不同重点职业病危害因素疑似职业病检出率和职业禁忌证检出率差异均有统计学意义(χ^(2)值为23.48~103.19,P值均<0.05)。重点职业病危害因素专项检查异常率8.15%,6年间呈上升趋势(χ^(2)=107.38,P<0.05)。不同职业病危害因素专项体检异常率以噪声最高(10.26%)、煤尘最低(0.15%),5种重点职业病危害因素专项体检异常率差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=1272.54,P<0.05)。新发职业病检出率0.32%,主要为矽肺(占53.42%)和噪声聋(占34.70%)。重点职业病危害因素检测岗位超标率27.89%,5种重点职业病危害因素岗位的超标率由高到低依次为矽尘(38.08%)、噪声(29.13%)、铅(7.84%)、苯(0.37%)、煤尘(0),差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=142.67,P<0.05)。6年间,总体岗位超标率、粉尘和噪声岗位超标率差异均有统计学意义(χ^(2)=85.49、74.38、141.17,P值均<0.05);其中总体岗位和噪声岗位超标率均呈逐年上升趋势(χ趋势2=107.38和55.35,P值均<0.05)。结论江津区重点职业病危害为噪声、粉尘、苯,应根据危害因素的接触情况、检测情况、体检情况,针对性对重点职业病危害企业和重点人群进行监督管理,降低重点职业病发病风险。

矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估研究现状与展望

矿山粉尘职业危害已成为矿山行业最重要的职业健康问题,对矿山粉尘危害进行风险评估、量化其危害程度是矿山职业卫生工作的重点。为深入了解矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估领域的研究脉络,基于文献计量学角度,采用VOSviewer与CiteSpace软件对中国知网(CNKI)和WOS(Web of Science)收录的矿山粉尘危害风险评估相关文献进行可视化分析,提取高频关键词,进行关键词共现、聚类分析,获得文献的时序特征、研究主体以及热点前沿信息。根据可视化分析结果,从风险评估指标、危害程度等级、评估方法3个方面进行了详细分析和阐述。细化了风险评估流程,分析了矿山粉尘的理化特性和危害因素,进而归纳了风险评估指标,总结了粉尘职业危害程度分级,按照定性、定量和综合评估3种类别梳理了矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估方法,阐释了健康伤害风险评估的量化模型。研究表明:目前国内外在矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估方向进行了大量深入的研究和实践,评估工作取得了较为显著的成效,但矿山各生产环节粉尘至今仍难以彻底遏制,相关研究理论机制尚未成熟,评估指标影响因素冗杂、危害程度分级缺乏依据、评估方法存在主观不确定性,矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估体系有待系统研究,粉尘危害风险分析及预警平台尚需探索构建。未来,需进一步完善矿山粉尘职业危害风险评估相关法律法规;科学、合理地选择风险评估指标,简化评估工作环节,实现良好的实用效益;突破现有方法局限,建立适用的数据信息论风险评估模型,为矿山粉尘治理提供有效依据;积极应用云计算、大数据等新技术,实现粉尘监测—风险评估—智能防控一体化系统建设。

上海闵行区工业企业职业病危害因素情况分析

目的:摸清上海市闵行区职业病危害因素现状,为后续职业病监管和防治提供依据。方法:通过对从业人员5人及以上的企业法人单位、产业活动单位和其他非法人单位全覆盖调查,主要调查内部包括企业基本情况、职业病危害情况等。结果:上海市闵行区1379家工业企业中,由883家企业存在职业病危害,主要分布在颛桥镇、浦江镇、梅陇镇和江川路街道4个街镇,占全区75.20%,接触职业病危害因素人数占全区78.50%。按行业分类位于前3位的分别为通用设备制造业163家(11.82%)、专用设备制造业141家(10.22%)和纺织服装、服饰业114家(8.27%)。接触职业病危害因素从业人员比例前3位分别为化学原料和化学制品制造业(42.57%)、汽车制造业(39.39%)、纺织业(37.93%)。闵行区工业企业主要为小、微型企业(91.16%),存在职业病危害的小、微型企业占总有害企业数的86.18%,接触人数占37.12%。从接害类型方面看,接触粉尘12445人,占30.28%;接触化学毒物19012人,占46.25%;接触物理因素27295人,占66.40%。结论:在今后的职业病防治工作中,要根据辖区职业病危害因素分布特点以及行业分类、行业规模等,有的放矢、分类施策,提高防治工作效率。同时,为适应职业病防治监督执法要求,要加强职业卫生监督执法队伍建设,不断更新职业病防治执法和监督技术手段。

铁路路基施工工艺及职业病危害因素分析

调查铁路路基施工工艺及施工过程中职业病危害因素,分析其对劳动者健康的危害程度,提出防护对策建议。对铁路路基施工现场进行职业卫生学调查及工作场所职业病危害因素检测。铁路路基施工现场人工作业人员、钻孔工和爆破工接触矽尘/其他粉尘、噪声,水泥浆制备作业人员接触水泥粉尘,电焊工接触电焊烟尘、锰及其化合物(以MnO_(2)计),混凝土工接触噪声和手传振动等职业病危害因素的浓度或强度超过国家职业卫生标准限值。通过采取职业病防护设施、个人防护用品、应急救援管理和日常监督管理的综合防治措施,铁路路基施工各岗位的职业病风险在可控范围内,能够满足职业病防治相关法律、法规、标准的要求。