ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Occupational health and safety practices and employee’s task performance: The role of job satisfaction and self-efficacy in the University of Cape Coast

The study's objective was to examine the association between Organisational Health and Safety practice (OHSP), Task Performance (TP), Job Satisfaction (JS) and Self-efficacy (SE) among workers at the University of Cape Coast Works and Maintenance section. The explanatory design was employed for this study using a census population of 350 workers comprising 3 and 345 senior and junior staff respectively. A data response rate of 91.42% was achieved. The study revealed that, OHSP influence TP, while JS was also a significant variable that stimulate job performance among workers. This feeling of satisfaction and belongingness possibly motivate workers to put in their best on their assigned jobs, hence, an increase in job performance. This JS intervene the relationship amid OHSP and JP. Self-efficacy was seen to positively influence TP. Thus, workers with high level of efficacy and confidence are more likely to increase their TP. However, the analysis showed that there was no statistically significant influence of Self-efficacy on the relationship between Occupational Health and Safety Practices and Job Satisfaction. To this end, the Health and Safety Practices of an Organisation tend to influence workers’ task outputs though another influential factor that get workers to increase their task performance was Job Satisfaction. It is recommended that management should provide rigorous education and training on OHSP among workers. In addition, management should ensure that workers are motivated to feel the sense of satisfaction in what they do at the workplace.

Source: UCC
Occupational Health and Safety Practices and Job Satisfaction at the Baptist Medical Center, Nalerigu

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of Occupational Health and Safety practices on Job Satisfaction of the employees of the Baptist Medical Center, Nalerigu, Ghana. The study used the quantitative research approach with the explanatory research design. A total of 127 staff were the population at the hospital and the same was considered for the sample size using the census technique. The analytical tools employed for this study were Statistical Package for Services Solution (SPSS) version 26. The SPSS was employed for descriptive analysis and the research objectives of the study. The study concluded that, the most effective form of occupational health and safety of employees were primarily centered on assistance at the workplace and rarely beyond at the Baptist Medical Center, Nalerigu, Ghana. It was also concluded that, that management should continue to ensure that the essence of employees been satisfied were due to similar beliefs and values, values of consistency, adaptability and effective communication system, and as well as the benefits associated with working at the organisation. The findings led to the conclusion that there was a positive and significant relationship between occupational health and safety and job satisfaction. The study recommends that the management of the Baptist Medical Center, Nalerigu, Ghana, should reduce hazards accidents and effects of disasters in the work place in order to reduce costs associated with the unsafe work environment. In addition, it is recommended that, Management of Baptist Medical Center, Nalerigu, Ghana, should develop effective health and safety policy and to ensure its effective implementation within the hospital.

Source: UCC
Occupational health and safety practices of University of Cape Coast

This dissertation focuses on the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices in the University of Cape Coast. The aim is to examine the OHS practices and to determine, the extent to which, the University had adhered to requirements of legislation governing occupational health and safety, assess the level of employee awareness of hazardous conditions associated with their work and make recommendations based on the findings to improve occupational health and safety practices. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. The sample involved 346 participants drawn from the senior members, senior staff and junior staff categories. Data were collected using questionnaire, semi-structured interview and observation. They were analysed using the Statistical Product for Service Solutions Software (SPSS Release 12.0 Windows). The study found that training in occupational health and safety was limited within the university. The university hardly notified staff on health and safety hazards at the workplace. The workers were also not encouraged to report workplace health hazards and it did not provide adequate orientation on health and safety legislation. Workers were also not provided with copies of OHS policy document. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Human Resource Division of the University should include health and safety training in its staff orientation and in-service training programmes. This will ensure that all staff gain in-depth understanding of issues related to OHS in the University.

Source: UCC
Occupational safety and health in hotel and restaurant kitchens in Accra

This study assessed occupational safety and health (OSH) of selected restaurant kitchens in Accra. A cross-sectional design, mixed-methods approach and a multi-stage sampling technique were adopted for the study. Data were obtained through structured interviews with 320 kitchen staff, 10 in-depth interviews with managers and observations in 94 facilities between June and August, 2021. The data were analysed using Chi-square Test of Independence, Analytic Hierarchy Process and thematic analysis. The study established that the kitchen staff of hotels and restaurants in Accra encountered five types of hazards namely physical, psychosocial, ergonomic, chemical and biological hazards. These hazards resulted mainly in injuries, illnesses and other health conditions like cuts, burns, headaches and stress. These injuries and illnesses have affected the facilities mostly in terms of cost. Efforts noted on the part of staff to minimize the effects of the prevailing hazards on their lives were mainly the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, it was noted that the PPEs were not used appropriately. Management also safeguarded the safety and health of their facilities in the area of electrical safety, staff welfare, fire-fighting and good ventilation/lighting, but not in the areas of risk assessment, OSH training, first aid and provision of PPEs. It is concluded that management and staff played their roles in ensuring safety and health in the restaurant kitchens. However, there were lapses in the execution of the roles. In light of the fact that there were hazards and records of staff injuries and illnesses, it is recommended that Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Ghana Fire Service should continue to sensitize both staff and hotel and restaurant managers on the need to effectively play their roles in ensuring safety given that safety and health is a collective responsibility.

Source: UCC
Occupational stress among nurses in a hospital setting in Ghana

Background: The prevalence of occupational stress among nurses is an endemic problem. The study sought to determine the current level of occupational stress experienced by nurses through the use of the Weiman Occupational Stress Scale as well as determining the most common occupational stressors and stress reduction strategies identified by the nurses. Method and Material: A purposive sampling technique and a self-administered questionnaire were used to select 73 nurses from the nursing and midwifery department in the Hospital. Weiman Occupational Stress Scale and other measuring tools on occupational stress were used to measure the stress level of the Nurses. Descriptive statistics was also used to analyzed and give an overview of the data generated by the study population. Results: The study found out that nurses of the hospital were found to experience above average levels of occupational stress with the mean score and individual average score of 37.01 and 2.47 indicating a 10% higher than the established Weiman Occupational Stress Scale mean score of 33.75 and individual average of 2.25. The study also found that the most common stressors were workload, inadequate resources and conflicting demands whilst the most common strategies the workers used for managing stress were resorting to hobbies, I identifying the source of stress and avoiding unnecessary stress, managing time better, adjusting to standards and attitudes and expressing their feelings instead of bottling them up. Conclusion: Results from the study reinforced the proposition that nurses of the St. Dominic Hospital at Akwatia, Ghana experienced work-related stress above average. It is recommended that the nurses should be well educated to understand that the healthcare-specific operational demands are part of his or her job. However, high stressors may nonetheless continue to pose risks and these can be handled through the institution of formalized peer support and clinical guidance systems within the hospitals.

Source: UCC
Occupational stress among police officers in Cape Coast Metropolis

The police profession has been identified as one of the most stressful occupations in the world. Using the ABCX model of stress and stress process model (SPM), the study sought to examine factors that influence occupational stress among Police Officers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study adopted a cross-sectional design using mixed method approach of research. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 194 Police Officers from five police stations whiles purposive sampling technique was used to select six senior Police Officers and four Station Officers. Data were collected using both questionnaires and interview guide. The study revealed that majority of the Police Officers considered the organisational aspects of their work as more stressful as compared to the physical hazards associated with their work. Notable among these stressors included lack of accommodation for personnel, performing two or more responsibilities at the same time, inadequate or using poor quality equipment, public criticism and “never off duty”. The most common coping strategies used by Police Officers in the study were doing what has to be done one step at a time and thinking about how best to handle a problem. Findings revealed no significant differences between age, gender, ranks, years of service and perceived work stress. However, significant differences were found between marital status and educational levels of Police Officers. It was recommended that since stress was due more to organisational factors, efforts should be made by the police administration to take corrective measures such as changes within the police organisation and establishment of stress management programmes for Police Officers.

Source: UCC
Occupational Stress Among Senior High School Teachers in Bolgatanga Municipality

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes, effects and, coping strategies of occupational stress among senior high school teachers in Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A descriptive research design was adopted for this study. The sampling technique that was used to arrive at the sample size of 252 teachers from a population of 505 was stratified random sampling with equal proportion and simple random sampling. The stratified random sampling with equal proportion was use to select the teachers from the five senior high schools within the Municipality. Data were collected using questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and independent samples t-test. The study indicated stress among senior high school teachers in Bolgatanga Municipality. The study revealed that intrapersonal conflict, time management, school management relationship and student behaviour were the major common stressors among senior high school teachers in Bolgatanga Municipality. The study revealed that majority of senior high school teachers in the Bolgatanga Municipality said that they were experiencing more psychological impacts of stress than physical. The results showed that the majority of the respondents used relaxation, listening to music, and consultations with counsellors and imams as strategies to cope with stress positively. From the findings, it was recommended that authorities of the Ghana Education Service should set up vibrant Counselling Units in all senior high schools to assist teachers to manage stress at work place.

Source: UCC
Occupational stress and employee performance: the case of cape coast technical university

The study examined the effect of occupational stress on the performance of academic professionals at the Cape Coast Technical University within the Central Region of Ghana. Based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory, the study also assessed the sources of occupational stress and determinants of academic professional’s performance. The study adopted the quantitative approach and explanatory research design. Using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination table, the study randomly sampled 113 members from the population size of 260 academic staff of the technical university. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respondents and processed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 24. Using the mean, standard deviation scores and regression analysis, the study found task performance as the major and highest determinant of employee performance. Also, occupational stress was found to have a significant negative relationship with employee performance at the technical university. It was concluded that, occupational stress is a key contributor of poor performance among the academic staff of the technical university. The study recommended that management should adopt innovative strategies geared towards reducing occupational stress at the institution in order to enhance employee performance levels

Source: UCC
Occupational stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction and Turnover intentions among senior high school Teachers in cape coast metropolis, Ghana

This study assessed occupational stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction and turnover intentions among Senior High School teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The census method was used to involve all the 520 teachers in the selected public Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation, independent samples t-test, regression and ANOVA) were employed for the data analysis. The findings showed low to moderate levels of occupational stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction and turnover intentions among the teachers engaged in the research. The study also revealed a significant relationship between occupational stress and burnout among teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Also, the study showed that there was no significant relationship between burnout and job dissatisfaction among SHS teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. However, there was a significant relationship between burnout and turnover intentions among the group of studied teachers. In addition, the findings of the study showed that occupational stress has a significant impact on turnover intentions among teachers, though, burnout had no significant impact on turnover intentions among the studied teachers. Based on the findings and the conclusions drawn, it was recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other analogous institutions should consciously re-design the responsibilities of teachers in the classroom in such a way that it may reduce the occupational stress, burnout and turnover intentions teachers experience on their jobs.

Source: UCC
Occurrence and species distribution of Klebsiella Isolates: A case study at Komfo Anokye teaching hospital (Kath) in Ghana

Different Klebsiella species may vary with the type of infections they cause in both the community and hospital environments. However, in many laboratories in developing countries, differentiation of the genus Klebsiella into species is not generally done during bacteriological diagnosis due to high cost and special skills involved. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of different Klebsiella species in KATH and how they relate to patients’ demographic data. Two thousand one hundred and ninety seven (2197) clinical specimens from the hospital were cultured on blood agar and MacConkey agar and the isolates investigated. The isolates were identified to the species level using various biochemical tests. Klebsiella species were recovered from 205 clinical samples (9.3% prevalence rate) with K. pneumoniae being the highest recovered species (74.1%), followed by K. oxytoca (24.4%), K. rhinoscleromatis (1%) and K. ozaenae (0.5%). Occurrence of Klebsiella isolates in the commonest clinical specimens were sputum (14.1%), wound (12.6%), urine (10.7%) and blood (5.1%). The highest female cases were found in urine and the highest male cases were found in sputum. There was no significant difference between the out-patient and in-patient cases and among the sexes. The dominant species of Klebsiella infections were K. pnuemoniae and K. oxytoca. Pneumonia, UTI, Wound infections and Sepsis are the common infections of Klebsiella in Ghana. This study has also provided information for use in generating national data on the prevalence of pathogens in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Occurrence Of Microplastics In Water, Sediment, Cultured And Wild Fish In The Lower Volta Basin Of Ghana

Despite the recent surge in microplastic research in Ghana, there is limited information on MPs in the Lower Volta Basin- an important freshwater resource that provides fish for human consumption. This study aims to fill in knowledge gaps by providing baseline information on MPs sampled from cultured and wild fish species, river water and sediment from Asikuma Labolabo, Kpong, and Sogakope Agodormi along the Lower Volta Basin, during the wet and dry seasons. The fish species analysed included Oreochromis niloticus from aquaculture farms and 12 local species- Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus, Chrysicthys auratus, Tilapia guineensis, Tilapia zilli, Mormyrus spp, Synodontis vellifer, Synodontis schall, Parachanna obscura, Auchenoglanis occidentalis, Brycinus brevis and Malapterurus electricus sampled from the wild. The overall percentage abundance of MPs in both cultured and wild sites, for both seasons, was highest in Asikuma Labolabo (47 %), followed by Kpong (33 %), and Sogakope Agodormi (20 %); there were significant differences in MP abundance obtained from the three sampling sites/locations (p < 0.05). The total microplastic concentration obtained in fish [wet =1586 MP items/fish, dry = 1114 MP items/fish] in the wet season was higher than for the dry season. Mean microplastic concentrations was higher in sediment (97.50 ± 78.78 MP items/g sediment) in comparison to water (11.10 ± 10.61 MP items/L water). All three different brands of fish feed used at various aquaculture farms, for fish production, recorded mean levels of MPs (Afeed = 25.00 + 13.57 items/g, Bfeed = 15.67 ± 6.15 items/g, and Cfeed = 6.67 ± 3.85 items/g). Within the matrices of the Lower Volta Basin, fibres were the dominant MP type identified.

Source: UCC
Occurrence of nontuberculous mycobacteria in some selected water sources in the central region of Ghana

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are common saprophytes found in the environment, specifically in soil and water. These mycobacteria have recently been reported to be implicated in opportunistic infections with increasing frequency, especially in immunocompromised individuals. This study aimed to find the occurrence of NTM in some selected water sources in the Central Region of Ghana using treated water from, and water sources employed by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) as the main medium for the study. Water samples were decontaminated with 4% NaOH solution and cultured on Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) slants at 30oC and 37oC for the recovery of Acid-fast bacilli (AFB). Post-culture Ziehl-Neelsen microscopy was done to identify AFB from isolates. This was followed by categorization of isolates as NTM using the Capilia TB-Neo assay. The 360 bp fragment of the rpoB gene was amplified for 17 (30.9%) isolates categorized as NTM and amplified products were separately subjected to digestion with the restriction endonucleases MspI and HaeIII. Resulting fragments were compared with those in a standard algorithm and the NTM species identified were M. celatum, M. gordonae type II, M. simae. M. genavense and M. kansasii V strain. The results of this study suggest that the water sources investigated harboured NTM, which can pose a potential public health hazard especially to immunodeficient individuals.

Source: UCC
Octopamine Drives Endurance Exercise Adaptations in Drosophila

Endurance exercise is an effective therapeutic inter- vention with substantial pro-healthspan effects. Male Drosophila respond to a ramped daily program of exercise by inducing conserved physiological re- sponses similar to those seen in mice and humans. Female flies respond to an exercise stimulus but do not experience the adaptive training response seen in males. Here, we use female flies as a model to demonstrate that differences in exercise response are mediated by differences in neuronal ac- tivity. The activity of octopaminergic neurons is spe- cifically required to induce the conserved cellular and physiological changes seen following endurance training. Furthermore, either intermittent, scheduled activation of octopaminergic neurons or octopamine feeding is able to fully substitute for exercise, confer- ring a suite of pro-healthspan benefits to sedentary Drosophila. These experiments indicate that octop- amine is a critical mediator of adaptation to endur- ance exercise in Drosophila.

Source: UCC
Ocular anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Pistia stratiotes Linn (Araceae) in endotoxin-induced uveitis

Background: Despite the numerous studies conducted on the anti-inflammatory effect of Pistia stratiotes, its traditional use in the treatment of conjunctivitis and iritis has not been scientifically evaluated. Materials and Methods: This study, therefore, investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of P. stratiotes in endotoxin-induced uveitis. Uveitis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats with lipopolysaccharides. Body temperature as well as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive proteins of blood in Pistia extracts-treated, prednisolone-treated, and normal saline-treated (control) rats were measured. Clinical signs of uveitis were observed using a slit lamp and histopathological assessments of inflammation in ocular tissue made. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils and total proteins in the aqueous humor of the eyes were estimated. Results: A rise in body temperature after lipopolysaccharide inoculation was found to be associated with corresponding high erythrocyte sedimentation rate and elevated C-reactive protein levels. There were significant reductions in vasodilatation of iris vessels, exudation, polymorphonuclear neutrophil (inflammatory cells), and total proteins into the anterior chamber of the eyes in rats treated with the Pistia extracts compare to the untreated (control). Histopathological assessments revealed resolution of uveitis in treatment groups but not in the untreated. All effects exhibited by the extracts were similar to that of Prednisolone; the reference anti-inflammatory drug. Conclusion: This study has shown that curative oral administration of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of P. stratiotes have ocular anti-inflammatory effect in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Source: UCC