Assessment of workplace hazards in mortuaries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Douglas, KE; Peterside, SS

doi:10.4103/0795-3038.197752

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Trips or falls that resulted in fractures or dislocations were experienced only once by 18.2% of the participants which is lower than the findings of a study done in Port Harcourt giving 94% [9].This may have resulted due to uneven, slippery, obstructed or poorly lit walkways or floor, poor housekeeping, and presence of fluids.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 48%

Occupational health hazards among mortuary attendants at ndola teaching and arthur davison children’s hospitals

Litana¹,

Kapambwe²

2017

APJHS

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Background: Just like employees from other occupations, Mortuary attendants are exposed to various hazards that may put their health at risk as they perform their duties. Objectives: The study was aimed at identifying occupational health hazards that mortuary attendants face at Ndola Teaching and Arthur Davison Children's Hospital mortuaries and to establish the infection control mechanisms in place. Methods: A descriptive crosssectional study was done among all (12) mortuary attendants at the two facilities. Data was collected through questionnaire interviews and by observation. Then entered and analysed using descriptive statistics by SPSS Statistics version 20 software, and presented using tables and graphs. Ethical approval was obtained from the Tropical Disease Research Centre at Ndola Teaching Hospital. Results: 100% experienced frequent exposure to solvents, detergents and fixatives, 54.5% of which was frequent formalin exposure. 18.2% and 27.3% frequently experienced needle pricks and contact with cadaver fluids respectively. 36% had contact with verminous/infectious bodies once.100%, affirmed the existence of some form of control mechanisms but confirmed not receiving any vaccination, 45.5% said Personal Protective Equipment was only provided sometimes and they were forced to work even without PPE, 100% reported absence of Standard Operating Procedures and Manuals but indicated presence of reporting mechanisms in case of hazard exposure. Conclusions: Occupational health hazards are common in public mortuaries in Ndola and experiencing these hazards impacts on the worker's health and well-being, affecting their work performance and quality of services offered. The findings of this project will hopefully help develop plans to promote health and safety.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 48%

Occupational health hazards among mortuary attendants at ndola teaching and arthur davison children’s hospitals

Litana¹,

Kapambwe²

2017

APJHS

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“…Mortuaries could be very unsafe places to work given the various hazards associated to working there. The study is line with the study of Douglas & Peterside [7] on the assessment of workplace hazards in mortuaries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Port Harcourt which they revealed in their study that majority (94%) of the hazard's respondents were exposed to mechanical slips, trips and falls.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…These may become manifest due to exposure to contaminated blood, body fluids or tissues through aerosols from bone and tissue sectioning example, tuberculosis in infected lungs, blood product of a deceased with hepatitis B virus (HBV), HIV and Ebola virus (as carrier or confirmed case, contacts or bodies exposed to rodents, needle stick, bone or sharp medical instrument inoculations puncture wounds, direct splashes or spillages of infectious material, incorrect or careless work techniques, e.g., failure to adhere to hygiene procedures and failure to vaccinate against common diseases). Douglas & Peterside [7] revealed in their study that majority (94%) of the hazard's respondents were exposed to mechanical slips, trips and falls. The majority (93%) of respondents had safety training on the hazards associated with the mortuary, while 11% used personal protective equipment (PPE) always.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 97%

Health Hazards, Perceived Health Problems and Safety Compliances among Mortuary Workers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State

Emmanuel

2021

AJARR

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This study assessed Health Hazards, Perceived Health Problems and Safety Compliances among Mortuary Workers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. Descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 150 eligible respondents from private and public mortuaries, respectively, surveyed from selected mortuaries in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. A structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents which comprises of socio-demographics, occupational history, knowledge and behaviour towards hazards encountered while at their workplace. Descriptive and analytical statistical tools were used to analyze the data. The majority of the respondents were exposed to hazards. The majority of respondents had knowledge of hazards associated with their job, while 11% used personal protective equipment (PPE) always. Hazards abound in mortuaries in Ikwerre L.G.A. even though most workers had received training on hazards and hazards prevention. There was also poor use of PPE by workers of these mortuaries in Ikwerre Local Government Area. It was recommended that health education, provision, enforcement and monitoring of the use of PPE be intensified among this group of workers as measures to mitigate hazards in the study area.

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“…6 It is estimated that the annual death rate for healthcare workers (HCWs) from occupational events, including infection is 17-57 per 1 million workers. 7 Despite high global OHS-related mortality, there is lack of information on the potential of OHS exposures among mortuary workers in government health facilities. From primary health care to millennium development goal to sustainable development goal, there is no portion where the management of human corpse was mentioned and this is part of our daily living and can adequately pose a threat to health of the citizenry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of risks and safe handling practices of corpses among morticians in Ibadan, Oyo state

Akinyemi

Adenaike

Ilesanmi

et al. 2021

Int J Community Med Public Health

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Background: It is well known in many Sub-Saharan countries that many morgues that are designed and built to earlier standard are no longer compatible with current occupational health and safety practices. This study therefore aimed to investigate the perception of risks involved and safe handling of corpses among morticians in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 42 morticians in Ibadan in 2017 using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from morticians. A key informant interview was also conducted with each supervisor of the various facilities.Results: Respondents’ mean age was 42.1±11.4 years, 39 (95.1%) were males, and 14 (35%) had no formal education. The most dangerous communicable diseases that the respondents were aware of included Lassa fever among 38 (95.0%), Ebola among 35 (87.5%), tetanus among 34 (85.0%), tuberculosis among 31 (77.5%), and hepatitis B among 25 (62.5%). In all, 36 (90%) of the respondents had inhaled chemicals during work leading to cough, excessive sneezing and eye irritation. Protective gown was well known among all 42 (100%) respondents. Work-associated injuries such as sharp injury, splash of chemicals, slip, trip and falls were least ranked. Some of the facilities (33%) had written program based on the requirement of the World Health Organization.Conclusions: Government, stakeholders and bodies responsible for managing mortuaries should not only pass law and enforce them but also provide avenues (seminars, lectures, webinars etc.) where knowledge can be shared and modern industry safe practices can be achieved.

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Assessment of workplace hazards in mortuaries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Occupational health hazards among mortuary attendants at ndola teaching and arthur davison children’s hospitals

Occupational health hazards among mortuary attendants at ndola teaching and arthur davison children’s hospitals

Health Hazards, Perceived Health Problems and Safety Compliances among Mortuary Workers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State

Perception of risks and safe handling practices of corpses among morticians in Ibadan, Oyo state

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