ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Occupational health and safety of the informal service sector in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area

The informal sector in Sub-Saharan Africa has become a growing source of employment for large numbers of youth, and also for older workers pursuing entrepreneurial goals and others adjusting to structural changes in the region’s employment. Most informal activities are flexible, insecure, and hazardous and take place in unhealthy and unsafe environment. Ghana’s annual occupational injury rates are about 11.5 injuries/1,000 persons in the urban areas and 44.9/1,000 in the rural areas. The study therefore seeks to examine the nature and operations of the informal service sector and the key health and safety risks associated with the sector. It also seeks to assess the economic costs of the injuries and diseases and the interventions put in place by government, employers, and employees and finally make recommendations to inform policy. With the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area as a case study, 440 employers and employees made up of Drivers, Beauticians, Mechanics and Porters were interviewed. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientist (version 17). Other source of data was basically secondary specifically from books, journals and other relevant publications. The study revealed that the total economic costs of injuries and diseases among informal service workers in STMA was GH11,691.9 for the year 2010 and workers were exposed to a range of physical, ergonomic, chemical and psycho-social hazards. Despite these costs and level of exposure to hazards, 62.3 percent of the respondents had not registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme. Concerning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the survey revealed a collaborative effort between both employers and employees in their provision. It was also realised that Ghana has no Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policy and the activities of OHS institutions were limited to the formal sector to the neglect of the informal sector and no compensations were paid to the workers in the sector. Furthermore, OHS institutions were under-resourced in terms of human resource and other logistics which hindered their service delivery even to the formal sector. It is therefore recommended that an OHS policy is formulated and intensive education through the media, undertaken to sensitize workers on their work environment and the level of risk exposure as well as the need to register under the NHIS. There is also the need for effective collaboration between all OHS institutions to ensure workers use the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent injuries.

Source: KNUST
Obstetric fistula- related knowledge, attitudes and practices of females and males in the Zabzugu-Tatale District, Northern Region, Ghana

For far too long, the problem of obstetric fistula has been illusive, and largely clouded in myths and mystery. The process of injury affecting the genitourinary system and anal canal, parts of the body usually covered from view of others. Victims of obstetric fistula therefore endure the injuries in silence, coupled with shame, pain and discomfort. Individuals affected are often stigmatized and discriminated against by relatives and community members. This has become imperative necessitating the focus of this study to determine the awareness of obstetric fistula condition among women and men of fertility age. The study aimed at determining the knowledge, attitudes and practices among women and men of reproductive age in the Zabzugu-Tatale district towards obstetric fistula condition. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women and men of reproductive age in the district. A total of 110 residents were interviewed face to face using structured questionnaires to obtain biodata and other data related to maternal health and fistula condition. Out of the 110 study participants interviewed 69 (62.73%) have heard of obstetric fistula (OF), mainly from health workers (29.09%) and family members (29.09%). More than 80% of the participants did not agree that poor obstetric care was a possible cause of obstetric fistula. Only 11.7% of the study participants agreed that prolonged labour was a possible cause of obstetric fistula, while 17.3% agreed that teenage pregnancy was a cause. Many (35-45%) of the participants consider obstetric fistula medium for birth injury, a case for divorce, a curse and social problem. Most respondents (89.1%) perceived trained health professionals to be the best safety method for delivery while 5.5% would prefer mother-in-laws and 4.5% from TBA. Also, 85.5% would choose a health facility over other sources for delivery while 17.3% perceived OF as a curse. Prevention of the disease was also identified to be possible through delay of early marriage and pregnancies, good spacing of births, delivery at health facilities, and avoiding pregnancies at age 40 or higher among others. Spousal influence on maternal health care seeking behaviour was considered necessary but not so in the Zabzugu/Tatale community. This study shows that awareness of obstetric fistula in the study community was high however; participants have rudimental and fair knowledge of the possible causes and complications that lead to the condition. The findings further highlight lack of knowledge of the participants on the causes of obstetric fistula and practices for its prevention. There is the need to scale up public health and maternal health education on obstetric fistula.

Source: KNUST
Occupational health hazards of woodsmoke and use of personal protective equipment among fish smokers in Abuesi

This study assessed the occupational health hazards of the use of wood as biomass fuel by fish processors within the Abuesi fish landing site, Western Region of Ghana. The study was carried out from February to December 2017 with 356 fish mongers interviewed using semi-structured interview guides. Results from the study showed that majority of the respondents were exposed to smoke related health disease (90 %), indicating a higher prevalence rate among fish mongers. Coughing (51 %), eye disease (17 %), headache (11 %) and respiratory disease (11 %) were some of the symptoms reported by the fishmongers during the study period. Smoking for more than 3 hours (Adjusted Odd Ratio; AOR= 16.95[95% CI; 6.08 – 47.36]), absence of safety measures (AOR = 1.93, [CI = 0.72– 5.05]) and frequent fish smoking (Adjusted Odds Ratio; AOR= 0.22, [CI= 0.08 – 0.63], p-value = 0.004 were the significant factors that increase the vulnerability of respondents to smoke related health symptoms. Majority of the respondents (93.1 % to 96.3 %) indicated they do not use Personal Protective Equipments such as goggles, safety boots, nose masks and aprons. Furthermore, 6% they had received information on measures regarding the nature of their work, largely through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Hen Mpoano. There is high rate of vulnerability to smokes related health diseases due to the presence of some significant factors. Epidemiological research with itemized exposure assessments and clinical proportions of these disease symptoms is required in Ghana to validate the findings of this study

Source: KNUST
Occupational health hazards of wood smoke and use of personal protective equipment among fish smokers in Abuesi.

This study assessed the occupational health hazards of the use of wood as biomass fuel by fish processors within the Abuesi fish landing site, Western Region of Ghana. The study was carried out from February to December 2017 with 356 fish mongers interviewed using semi-structured interview guides. Results from the study showed that majority of the respondents were exposed to smoke related health disease (90 %), indicating a higher prevalence rate among fish mongers while a few (10 %) reported no incidence of smoke related health symptom. Coughing (51 %), eye disease (17 %), headache (11 %) and respiratory disease (11 %) were some of the symptoms reported by the fishmongers during the study period. Smoking for more than 3 hours (AOR= 16.95, [CI= 6.075 – 47.357]), absence of safety measures (AOR = 1.926, [CI = 0.725 – 5.049]) and frequent fish smoking (AOR= 0.220, [CI= 0.078 – 0.625], p-value < 0.05 were the significant factors that increase the vulnerability of respondents to smoke related health symptoms. Majority of the respondents (93.1 % to 96.3 %) indicated they do not use PPE such as goggles, safety boots, nose masks and aprons. Furthermore, 6% they had received information, largely through the MOFA and Hen Mpoano. There is high rate of vulnerability to smokes related health diseases due to the presence of some significant factors. Epidemiological research with itemized exposure assessments and clinical proportions of these disease symptoms is required in Ghana to validate the findings of this study.

Source: KNUST
Occupational Health and Safety Audit of Fuel Filling Stations in the Agona Nkwanta, Inchaban and Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana

Fuel Filling Stations are an indispensable part of modern technological society, but they also pose numerous risks and threats to employees and the environment. The outburst of flames at Fuel Filling Stations (FFSs), especially the June 3, 2015 catastrophic explosion at GOIL filling station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra in which 160 lives were lost has raised a lot of concern among stakeholders. Hence, the need to assess the prevailing safety practices and level of awareness of employees on health and safety at the FFS, and determine the compliance of these FFSs to require standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana. A mixed methodological approach including: field measurement, Geographical Positioning System (GPS) data capturing on locations of FFSs, field survey, questionnaire administration, structured and face-to-face interviews were employed in gathering data for the study which took place at Agona Nkwanta, Inchaban and Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. A total of 80 employees in 40 FFSs were involved in the study and data analyzed with Statistical Product for Service Solutions Software (SPSS Version 20.0) and Excel. The study revealed that though 78.5% of employees were aware of safety measures, the scope was narrow. The ANOVA showed that the Multinational Oil Marketing Companies (OMC’s) outperformed the State Owned and Individual Private Owned OMCs. It was revealed that 90% and 42.5% of FFSs did not meet the required standard (≥ 30 m) of set-back from road and distance from residential areas respectively. Though the respondents claimed they have knowledge of safety measures at their respective work places, yet that did not determine the success of the OMCs in health and safety management because of observed narrow scope. Adequate training on regular basis should be given to employees especially those at the Individual private owned OMCs while research on the effects of volatile organic compounds from petrol fumes on fuel pump attendants in Ghana had to be carried out.

Source: KNUST
Occupational injuries among healthcare workers in Suntreso district hospital in Ashanti region, Ghana

Occupational health is defined as the highest degree of physical, mental and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations. Healthcare workers are exposed to various blood pathogens such as Hepatitis B and C virus, HIV and other occupational injuries such as violence from patients and patients relatives, biological and chemical hazards, others experience psychological trauma like fear, anxiety of infection and post exposure of body fluids. The lack of credible data hampers efforts to improve workplace safety especially in developing countries including Ghana, for these reasons occupational injuries are not recognised as public health priority. The main objective was to assess the prevalence rate of the most common occupational injuries and the group of healthcare workers at risk. To examine the awareness and knowledge of occupational health and safety measures. The study was a hospital-based with a cross-sectional design study which used a simple random sampling technique. Quantitative method through a well-structured questionnaire with both opened and closed questions was administered. Participation of respondents was voluntary. The study was conducted within 3month duration. It consisted of 246 respondents which represented about 75% of the HCWS at the facility. Data was entered and analysed by Stata. Binary logistic regression and chi square for categorical variables was done and alpha was set at 0.05. The prevalence rate of occupational injury was 29.7% among the respondents of 12months prior to the study with the commonest injury been cuts from sharps, followed by needle prick injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. , married workers were 62 percent less [AOR = 0.62; 95% CI. = 0.30-3.62] likely to suffer from injury compared to workers who are single. The risk to injury was 3.8 times higher for nurses [AOR = 3.80; 95% CI = 0.87-1.98] compared to laboratory assistants [AOR = 1.98 95% CI. = 0.41-9.40], physicians [AOR = 1.82; 95% CI. = v 0.50-5.62] and nonclinical staff. Also working on shift termed as stressful exposes a worker to injury at 2.23 times [AOR = 2.23; 95% CI. = 1.22-5.23] compared to those who do not. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity and work experience were statistically insignificant to the occurrence of injury. Occupational injuries especially cuts by sharps, needle pricks and musculoskeletal disorders were the most reported injuries among the HCWs. Adequate training on occupational health and safety is recommended. Stress related factors such as excessive workload, shortage of staff must be improved at the hospital. Medical surveillance policy for all health care workers must be enforced by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to ensure the wellbeing of workers.

Source: KNUST
Occupational stress and burnout in selected banking institutions in Kumasi

In this new era, so many changes are going on in the work setting and thus many jobs have been affected. The last few years have witnessed many changes in the banking industry, for instance globalization, downsizing and new technologies being introduced. In addition to this, in Ghana several banks have entered the economy which have made this sector a very competitive one. Employees may be expected to work for long hours because they must see to a lot of customers every working day. These issues could cause stress among bank workers in Ghana. The main objective of this study was to assess occupational stress and burnout, and their effects on performance of employees in selected banking institutions in Kumasi. One hundred and ten bank workers participated in the survey. Convenience sampling was used to select the subjects. In collecting data on occupational stress, burnout and work performance, questionnaires were administered to the bank workers. Descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, pie charts and graphs were used to analyze the data collected. Correlations and regressions were used to find relationships between the variables. The major causes of occupational stress among the bank workers were the workers not getting ample time to deal with family issues and working longer than scheduled times. The significant burnouts the workers experienced were back pain due to sitting continuously for a long time and employees feeling tired to work for the next day because of the entire day‟s work. The level of occupational stress and burnout were both moderate. Again, the study found a significant positive relationship between occupational stress and burnout among the workers. Both occupational stress and burnout had significant negative relationships with work performance. The management of the banking institutions studied should organise v workshops or seminars on stress management. This could focus on how to effectively balance work and family life. Workers who are stressed should seek counseling. They should find out counseling sections at their various workplaces and explore them. If there are no such sections in their workplaces, then they should seek counseling elsewhere. Workers should take advantage of breaks during work days. This can be by taking a break and stepping away from the demanding event, taking a walk outside the workplace, spending a few minutes relaxing and going for lunch breaks. Employees could also take time off if possible either by taking a long weekend or a vacation during annual leave periods.

Source: KNUST
Occupational injuries among healthcare workers in Suntreso District Hospital in the Ashanti Region, Ghana

Occupational health is defined as the highest degree of physical, mental and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations. Healthcare workers are exposed to various blood pathogens such as Hepatitis B and C virus, HIV and other occupational injuries such as violence from patients and patients relatives, biological and chemical hazards, others experience psychological trauma like fear, anxiety of infection and post exposure of body fluids. The lack of credible data hampers efforts to improve workplace safety especially in developing countries including Ghana, for these reasons occupational injuries are not recognised as public health priority. The main objective was to assess the prevalence rate of the most common occupational injuries and the group of healthcare workers at risk. To examine the awareness and knowledge of occupational health and safety measures. The study was a hospital-based with a cross-sectional design study which used a simple random sampling technique. Quantitative method through a well-structured questionnaire with both opened and closed questions was administered. Participation of respondents was voluntary. The study was conducted within 3month duration. It consisted of 246 respondents which represented about 75% of the HCWS at the facility. Data was entered and analysed by Stata. Binary logistic regression and chi square for categorical variables was done and alpha was set at 0.05. The prevalence rate of occupational injury was 29.7% among the respondents of 12months prior to the study with the commonest injury been cuts from sharps, followed by needle prick injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. , married workers were 62 percent less [AOR = 0.62; 95% CI. = 0.30-3.62] likely to suffer from injury compared to workers who are single. The risk to injury was 3.8 times higher for nurses [AOR = 3.80; 95% CI = 0.87-1.98] compared to laboratory assistants [AOR = 1.98 95% CI. = 0.41-9.40], physicians [AOR = 1.82; 95% CI. =v 0.50-5.62] and nonclinical staff. Also working on shift termed as stressful exposes a worker to injury at 2.23 times [AOR = 2.23; 95% CI. = 1.22-5.23] compared to those who do not. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity and work experience were statistically insignificant to the occurrence of injury. Occupational injuries especially cuts by sharps, needle pricks and musculoskeletal disorders were the most reported injuries among the HCWs. Adequate training on occupational health and safety is recommended. Stress related factors such as excessive workload, shortage of staff must be improved at the hospital. Medical surveillance policy for all health care workers must be enforced by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to ensure the wellbeing of workers

Source: KNUST
Occupational related injuries and disabilities among operational fire fighters in Ghana

Fire fighters experience inordinate numbers of line-of duty (LOD) injuries due to occupational diseases, and forced retirements. There seems however to be no improvement in terms of policies and structures to curtail this challenge. The main objective sought to assess the triggers and types of injury and disabilities and their implications on operational fire fighters in Ghana. The study was descriptive cross-sectional study. The study involved 245 fire personnel drawn from larger urban fire stations (Greater Accra, Central region, Western region and Ashanti regional fire commands). Data was collected using structured questionnaires and in-depth interview guides. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 22 and this involved descriptive statistics and testing of associations. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to adjust for the confounding effects of the independent variables and to estimate the odds of experiencing injury among fire personnel. All statistical tests were conducted at significance level of p<0.05. The study showed a high level of injury among firefighters (51% of the respondents in this study admitted they had ever experienced injury) and most of these injuries were minor. Three was however poor management of injury with only less than 10% being catered for by the service. Majority of interviewed fire fighters had not had safety training, lacked surveillance systems, and there were inadequate injury tracking programmes suggesting low level of preparedness in injury prevention and disability care. Lack of health safety training among firefighters increased the odds of experiencing injury (AOR=2.82; 95% CI= 1.4, 5.8). This study found a high level of injury but a low level of preparedness in dealing with injury and disability in the GNFS. Efforts should be scaled up to ensure adequate preparedness in terms of equipment and training, lack of which has shown to increase experience of injuries.

Source: KNUST
Occupational Stress in Health Careworkers: The Case of the Goaso Government Hospital

Occupational stress is health hazard to the individual worker both physically and psychologically. It equally has deleterious effects on organizations and even nations in terms of productivity and financial losses. Whilst it is being given close attention in recent times in America and Western Europe as is evident from the growing number of wellness programs being developed for employees in these continents, it does not appear to evoke equal attention in developing countries. Occupational stress is common to all occupations but if it is unchecked in the healthcare sector, that could even be more disastrous for any nation. The issue is that, there are indications of above average occupational stress in some Ghanaian healthcare workers; but exactly how much of occupational stress is being experienced? Which stressors are the most common and what stress reduction strategies are commonly adopted by victims? This study set out to examine overall occupational stress, its causes, outcomes and possible solutions and, in particular, find out the level of occupational stress in workers of the Goaso Government Hospital in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Administering the Weiman Occupational Stress Scale to a sample of 68 workers drawn from the population of 136 established employees of the hospital, workers of the hospital were found to experience above average levels of occupational stress with nurses showing the highest levels. The study also found that the three most common stressors were workload, inadequate resources and conflicting demands whilst the three most common strategies the workers used for managing stress were briefing with peers or friends, seeking supervision and looking for the humor in the stressor.

Source: KNUST