CORRELATION BETWEEN SAFETY AWARENESS AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH RISK FACTORS AMONG WASTE WORKERS IN SELECTED GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS IN NIGER-DELTA
Abstract
This study investigated the correlation between safety awareness and occupational health risk among waste workers in selected government hospitals in Niger-Delta region. Safety awareness was operationalized using modified safety awareness scores while knowledge of occupational health risk exposure was captured using physical factors, biomechanical factors, biological Factors and psychosocial factors. Cross-sectional and inferential designs were adopted. The population comprised hospital waste workers in three selected government hospitals in Niger-Delta States namely Imo, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom State. Data collection was done using questionnaire designed based on a 5-point Likert. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. The results of the descriptive statistics using weighted average (WA) revealed that knowledge of waste workers on occupational health risk factor is good (WA = 4.09 > 3.00) and the waste workers have substantial level of safety awareness (WA = 3.76>3.00) The Pearson correlation revealed that positive and significant relationship exists between safety awareness, physical factors and psychosocial factors. The results also showed that there is positive but insignificant relationship between safety awareness and biomechanical factor (BMF) however, safety awareness has negative and significant relationship with biological factors (BF). It was therefore concluded that safety awareness has a positive relationship with occupational health risk factors among waste workers in government-owned hospitals in the Niger-Delta.
Downloads
References
Shahida R, Saira I, L, and Baig, K. M. (2015) Hospital Waste Management in the Teaching Hospitals of Karachi, JPJMA 55:192
Yves J. E. Chartier, A. P. Ute Pieper, R. S. Philip-Rush-brook, W. Townend, and Zghondi S.W (2019) Safe Management of Wastes from Health-Care Activities, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2nd edition.
Themann, C.L., & Masterson, E.A., (2019). Occupational noise exposure: A review of its effects, epidemiology, and impact with recommendations for reducing its burden. Journal of Acoustic. Sociology, 146, 3879
Pearce, M., Strain, T., Wijndaele, K., Sharp, S.J. Mok, A., & Brage, S. (2021) Is occupational physical activity associated with mortality in UK Biobank? International Journal of Behavioural. Nutrition and Physic, 18, 102.
Nataletti, P., Bogi, A., Borra, M., Gioia, D., Falsaperla, R., Marchetti, E., Militello, A., Nicolini, O., Rossi, P., & Sacco, F., (2014). Occupational Exposure to Physical Agents: The New Italian Database for Risk Assessment and Control. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 20, 407–420.
Mathieu, S., Naughton, G., Descatha, A., Soubrier, M., & Dutheil, F. (2020), Dupuytren’s Disease and exposure to vibration: Systematic review and Meta-analysis. Jt. Bone Spine, 87, 203–207.
Dogbla, L., Gouvenelle, C., Thorin, F., Lesage, F., Zak, M., Ugbolue, U.C., Charbotel, B., Baker, J.S., Pereira, B., & Dutheil, F (2023). Occupational Risk Factors by Sectors: An Observational Study of 20,000 Workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 3632. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043632
Guerrero JL, Sniezek JE, & Sehgal (2019) The prevalence of disability from chronic conditions due to injury among adults ages 18–69 years: United States, 1994. Disability and Rehabilitation, 21:187–192.
Hendrick DJ (2016) Occupational and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thorax 51:947–955
Hewett P (2006) Interpretation and use of occupational exposure limits for chronic disease agents. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 11:561–590.
Harrison JE, Frommer MS, Ruck EA, Blyth FM (2009) Deaths as a result of work-related injury in Australia, 1982–1984. Medical Journal of Australia, 50:118–125
Forastieri V (2019) Improvement of working conditions and environment in the informal sector through safety and health measures. International Labour Organization, Geneva.
Frank JW, Pulcins IR, Kerr MS (2015) Occupational back pain—an unhelpful polemic. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 21:3–14.
Dursun S. An aplication for the impact on safety performance of safety culture [doctoral dissertation]. Bursa: Uludag University; 2011
Lin SH, Tang WJ, & Miao JY (2008) Safety climate measurement at workplace in China: a validity and reliability assessment. Safety Science. 46:1037-1046.
Wallerstein, N; & Weinger, M. (2012). Health and Safety Education for Worker Empowerment. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 22, 619-635.
Thobora, P., & Thuita, S (2015). Assessing the Level of Compliance of Occupational Safety and Health Risk Management Practices with Occupational Safety Legislation in Public TVET Institutions in Nairobi, Kenya, Journal of Industrial Engineering 1(1) 23-36.
Liska, D., Goodloe, R., & Sen R. (1993). Zero Accident Techniques, Construction Industry Institute, University of Texas at Austin,
Hosseinian, S.S., & Torghabeh, Z.J (2012). Major theories of Construction Accident Causation Models: A Literature Review. International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, 2, (53-66),
Heinrich, H. W. (1959). Industrial accident prevention: a scientific approach (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Esayas. G., Meseret, G., Desta, H., Chuchu, C., & Zeleke G., (2021), Health-care Waste Management and Risk Factors Among Health Professionals in Public Health Facilities of South Omo Zone, South West Ethiopia, Journal of Healthcare Leadership,13 119–128
Akter, S., Mohammad, S., & Reza, S., (2019), Awareness on Medical Waste Management and Occupational Health Safety among the Employees Related to Medical Services at Upazila Level in Bangladesh Kazi. Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques, 7(3), 282-28
Omoleke. S.A., Usman. N., Kanmodi.. K. K, & Ashiru. M.M (2021) Medical waste management at the primary healthcare centres in a north western Nigerian State: Findings from a low-resource setting. www.journals.elsevier.com/public-health-in-practice. 2666-5352/
Patrick K.N., Mburu C., & Karanja B., (2019), Role of Safety and Health Awareness in Occupational Safety and Health Performance in Public Health Facilities in Machakos County, Kenya. Journal of Health and Environmental Research. 5(1), 1-7
Thirunavukkarasu, A., Alrawaili, K.A.H., Al-Hazmi, A.H., Dar, U.F., Alruwaili, B., Mallick, A., Wani, F.A.; Alsirhani, A.I.E. (2021). Prevalence and Risk Factors of Occupational Health Hazards among Health Care Workers of Northern Saudi Arabia: A Multi-centre Study. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health 18, 11489. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijerph182111489
Copyright (c) 2026 GPH-International Journal of Applied Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the GPH Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
