INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Health is an important determinant quality of life. The World

Health Organization (WHO 1998) define health as a dynamic state of

complete physical mental spiritual and social wellbeing of an individual

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This implies that

health is the overall condition of an organism at a given time as regard

to soundness of body or mind as well as freedom from abnormality.

Occupational health according to Joint Committee of International

Labour Office and World Health Organization (1980) is defined as the

promotion and maintenance of the highest physical and social wellbeing

of workers in all occupations and place of employments.

The interactions between a worker and his environment may lead

to betterment of health when work is fully adapted to human factors and

may also lead to ill health when work is beyond human tolerance. The

importance of health to an individual cannot be over emphasized the

worker therefore needs to be healthy at least to enable him remain fit to

enjoy his employment.

Occupational hazards also refer to as dangers to human health

and wellbeing which are associated with specific occupation or as a risk

accepted as a consequence of a particular occupation

(WWW.thefreedictionary.com).

According to International Labour Office and World Health

Organization 1980 occupational hazard is classified into six (6) namely:

1. Physical hazards

2. Chemical hazards

3. Biological hazards

4. Mechanical hazards

5. Psychosocial hazards

6. Ergonomics hazards

● Physical Hazards – are the most common and will be present in

most work places at one time or another. They include unsafe

conditions that can cause injury illness and death they are

typically easiest to spot but sadly too often overlooked because of

familiarity.

Examples of physical hazards include:

- Electrical hazards – frayed cords missing ground pins

improper wiring.

- Spills on floors or tripping hazards such as blocked aisle or

cords running across the floor.

● Chemical Hazards – are present when a

- Worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in the work

place in any form (solid liquid or gas). Some are safer than

others but to some workers who are more sensitive to

chemicals even common solution can cause illness skin

initiation or breathing problems.

Examples of chemical hazards are

- Liquid like chemical products paints acid solvents

- Gases like acetylene propane carbon monoxide and helium

- Inflammable materials like gasoline solvents and explosive

chemicals.

● Biological Hazards – come from working with animals people or

infections plant materials. Working in day care hospitals hotel

laundry and room cleaning laboratories vertinary offices and

nursing homes may expose one to biological hazards. Examples of

biological hazards are:

Examples of biological hazards are:

- Blood or other body fluids

- Fungi

- Bacteria and viruses

- Plants

- Insect bites etc.

● Ergonomic Hazards – occur when the type of work body

position and working conditions put strain on your body. They are

the hardest to spot since you don’t always immediately notice the

strain on your body or the harm these hazards pose. Short-term

exposure may result in a “sore muscles: the next day or in the

days following exposure but long term exposure can result in

serious long term injury.

Ergonomics hazards includes

- Poor lighting

- Improperly adjusted work stations and chairs

- Frequent lifting

- Poor posture

- Having to use too much force especially if you have to do it

frequently.

● Mechanical Hazards – the mechanical hazards is industry centre

round machinery protruding and moving parts hand-held drilling

machines saws and cutting tools etc. As with all engineering

equipment the prime rule of safety within a mechanical workshop

is that of good housekeeping and general tidiness.

● Psychosocial Hazards – the psychosocial hazards arises from

the working failure to adapt to an align psychosocial environment

frustration lack of job satisfaction insecurity poor human

relationships emotional tension are some of the psychosocial

factors which may undermine both physical and mental health of

the worker. The capacity to adapt to different working

environments is influenced by many factors such as education

cultural background social habits.

It is a known fact that certain sectors and occupation are more

dangerous than others protecting workers in hazardous conditions

in what is often known as the “3D” Dirty Difficult and Dangerous

jobs is therefore a primary focus of the safe work programme.

Occupational hazards can lead to the following:

- Lost of body parts mostly limbs which is commonly cause by

operating machines.

- Burnout

- Lost of any of the five (5) senses such as listening or sight.

- Incapacitation or permanent damage

- Low productivity or decrease manpower.

International Labour Office and World Health Organization

(1980).

Occupational deaths and injuries and non-related disease

take a particularly heavy toll in developing countries. In

recognition of the dangers of occupational hazards occupational

safety and health act 1970 was first pass by the United State of

America Government it is a primary federal law which governs

occupational health and safety in the private sector and the federal

government in the U.S. it was enacted by congress in 1970 and it

was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 29

1970. Its main goals is to ensure that employers provide

employees with an environment free from recognised hazards such

as exposure to toxic chemicals excessive noise levels mechanical

dangers heat or cold stress or unsanitary condition.

In Life Federation of Nigeria (LFN) was meant to provide minimum

standards of health and safety for workers. It also makes provisions for

issuance of other relevant regulations codes of practices standard

orders rules and notices. Similarly it makes provision for imposing

penalties for any breach of its provisions. The Act therefore empower

the Minister of Labour to appoint inspectors of factories nationwide who

were expected to regularly undertake inspection of workplaces to

enforce the provision of the Act as they relate to occupational health and

safety of workers and productivity (MLP 2002; Asuzu 1998). The

Factories Act made general provision on health specifically paid attention

to cleanliness over crowd ventilation lightening drainage of floors and

sanitary conveniences. This is to avoid conditions that would be

offensive or injurious to workers on safety it emphasized on training and

supervision of inexperienced workers while carrying out their jobs.

Provisions were also made as precautionary measures regarding

explosions flammable dust gas vapour or substance fire protection

etc. In this issue of welfare the Act focused on water supply food and

first aid as well as provision of protective materials/equipment. In case

of accident and industrial disease the Act provided for notification and

investigation of accidents and industrial diseases (Falana 1997; LFN

1990).

Similarly the Nigeria National Policy (NNP) in recognition of the

important of health of the workers charged the Federal Ministry of

Health with this responsibility:

a) Conducting surveillance on work environment and evaluation

frame work which are potentially hazardous.

b) Physical and biological monitoring of evaluations at health hazards

to workers among others.

In this regard occupational health and safety was designed to

implement the aforementioned policies and regulations. The

International Labour Organization (ILO 1985) which Nigeria is a

member identified the aims and functions of occupational health to

include:

a) Protection of workers against health hazards

b) Adaptation of the job to suit the workers health status.

Nigeria as a country was not really operating under any

occupational health and safety Act until 2012 when the Nigeria Senate

passed a Bill titled Occupational Safety and Health Bill 2012 which was

a follow up to the report of the Joint Committee on Employment Labour

and Productivity Health and Establishment and Public Services

presented by the Chairman. Senator Wilson Ake and 24 others the Bill

was also earlier passed in the House of Representatives same year.

The Bill seeks to protects workers from hazards associated with

their works and reports and re-enacts the Factory Act 2004 to make

comprehensive provisions for securing the safety health and welfare of a

persons at work environment (Akhigbe 2012).

Going by the various industrial health and safety regulations and

policies coupled with the stated objectives of occupational health one

may say that reasonable efforts have been made by government in

Nigeria to take good care of the occupations thereby preventing

problems that will be detrimental to them. However the extent to which

they are practiced or implemented by the various industries or

organization including the health sectors will now determine the health

status of the workers in General Hospitals in Kaduna state. This may

only be scientifically determined when a study is conducted to examine

the hazards and occupational health problems of workers in General

Hospitals in Kaduna state It is against this background that the

researcher saw the need to carry out this study in order to assess the

health problems among health workers in St. Luke’s Anglican Hospital.

Statement of the Problem

Despite the government efforts in Nigeria in formulating Industrial

Acts and Laws and in the Acts are observed in the industries little or no

studies have been conducted to investigate the existing health problems

faced by the workers in their various places of work. The literature

source such as (Isah et al (1996) stressed that only a few studies were

conducted.

According to WHO (2005) only 10-15% of health workers access

standard of occupational health services especially in the developing

countries like Nigeria. Occupational hazards still pose serious health

problems in Nigeria. Also the National Institute for Occupational Safety

and Health (NIOSH) 1999 estimate that each year about 100000 people

die from occupational disease are recognized annually which was said to

be one major causes of low productivity among workers. Some of the

hazards such as physical chemical biological and ergonomics are still

quite traumatic among workers in General Hospitals Kaduna state. That

a need to have better understanding of those hazards in the light of the

aforementioned this study is designed to assess the health problems

among workers in General Hospitals Kaduna state.

Objective of the Study

The objective of the study is to study was to generate baseline

data for describing the context of occupational hazards among nurses in

General Hospitals Kaduna state. Specifically the study sought to:

a) Determine the percentage of nurses that have been affected by

occupational hazards.

b) Find out if there are occupational health services available for

nurses in General Hospitals Kaduna state.

c) Ascertain the extent of utilization of occupational health services

by nurses in General Hospitals Kaduna state.

Significance of the Study

The finding of this study will be of great benefit to Kaduna State

Ministry of Health and general public.

The study has provided information on the commonest

occupational hazards to Ministry of Health Kaduna state. This will draw

their attention to the plight of health workers especially nurses thereby

putting in place all the necessary measures to provide a safe and

healthier working conditions in the hospital.

When the findings of this study are adopted and proper control

measures taken the health workers (nurses) would achieve a healthier

and more productive employment life with sustained earnings the

employers on the other hand will enjoy a productive and cost effective

labour-free in variably the society at large will enjoy a healthier health

care services and development.

The study will also be of immense value to the field of knowledge

as a source of literature. This will particularly benefit those that would

want to conduct similar research in the field of occupational health.

Scope of the Study

This study will try to address some of the occupational hazard

such as physical hazards biological hazards ergonomics hazards and

psychosocial hazards because they are directly and more concerned with

nurses activities especially the clinicians and it will be carryout in General

Hospitals Kaduna state.

The study did not cover chemical and mechanical hazards hence

they are more industry centred and may only contribute very minimal as

health hazards to nurses.

Research Questions

1) What is the percentage of nurses affected by occupational hazard?

2) What are the occupational hazard services available to nurses in

General Hospitals Kaduna state.

3) To what extent are the occupational health services utilized by

nurses in General Hospitals Kaduna state.