Occupational health nurses, as the largest single group of health care. Occupational health and safety issues among nurses in the philippines. Nurses also face health hazards such as hepatitis b, acquired. Knowledge and practices of nursing workers on occupational risks. Exposure to occupational health hazards among zambian. They exhibit a higherthan average risk of sustaining musculoskeletal disorders. International labour organization ilo pdf file environmental hazards for the nurse as a worker the national academies press nursing is a uniquely hazardous occupation. Although nursing students are more prone to occupational hazards and injuries in the course of their clinical training activities, they have not been the primary focus of any published study of exposure incidents in gaza strip, palestine. Hepatitis b is a recognized occupational hazard among hospital personnel.
Occupational safety and health administration washington, d. Chemical occupational hazards are among the most insidious to hospital staff nurses and female workers. To assess the awareness of healthcare workers hcws about physical hazards in tanta university hospitals, this crosssectional study included 401. Occupational injuries and illnesses among registered nurses registered nurses often face workplace hazards while performing routine duties. Some common occupational hazards that nurses might face are listed here. In june, the occupational safety and health administration osha announced it was targeting some of the most common causes of workplace injury. Doris mosocco, rn, bsn, chce, cosc heartland home health and hospice. Hospital staffs are exposed to a wide range of health hazards in the workplace, including biological, chemical, physical, ergonomic and psychological hazards. Article pdf available december 2017 with 7,102 reads. It was very interesting in this study to indicate that exposure to psychological hazards was the highest among all occupational hazards for nursing students. Among the strengths of this study, however, is the large sample size 129 765 participants. It seems that workrelated musculoskeletal pain and injuries. Occupational health and safety 5 the discipline covers the following key components. Improving precautions designed to reduce inhalation exposures to respiratory irritants and sensitisers in healthcare settings may reduce asthma morbidity among nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Staff awareness and experiences of occupational health hazards. Prevalence and response to occupational hazards among. The role of the occupational health nurse in workplace. Raise awareness among nurses, employers and the public of occupational hazards in the health sector, including violence and abuse. Raise nurses awareness of their rights as workers to a safe environment and of their obligations to protect their safety and promote the safety of others.
Aim and objectives the aim of the study was to identify the occupational health hazards encountered by nurses at letsholathebe ii memorial hospital in maun, botswana. Frequency of sickness absence and worksite clinic visits among nurses as a function of shift. Registered nurses also try to practice occupational safety but the restrictions such as nonavailability of facilities prevent them from the safety practices. In a recent study of occupational exposures in australian.
Short term risks may include physical injury, while longterm risks may be increased risk of developing cancer or heart disease. Physical hazards encountered in hospital working environment include temperature, illumination, noise, electrical injuries, and radiation. Occupational risk factors for asthma among nurses and. This research aims to find out the risk factors and hazards responsible for causing ergonomic related problems among nurses, evaluate their practices, and suggest recommendations to reduce it. Crosssectional data were collected through a selfadministered survey in the hospital. Exposure to occupational health hazards among zambian workers. The order of presentation of the various hazards in the ensuing paragraphs does not reflect their relative importance. This is an exploratory crosssectional study among 296 nurses and nurseassistants in accra n164and. During 2007 alone, 27,400 recorded injuries occurred among more than 896,800 home healthcare workers. To assess the occupational health hazards faced by healthcare workers and the mitigation measures. Assessment of occupational health safety and hazard. Whereas, this study assessed the occupational hazards and safety practices among the healthcare personnel whose job descriptions entail having direct contacts with patients on an almost daily basis in majority of the hcfsthe medical doctors, nurses and nursing assistant mdnna. Among nurses, occupational injuries and illnesses are well documented in western, developed countries. Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of occupational hazards.
An important national assessment of occupational health and safety issues comes from the 2001 american nurses association ana online health and safety survey of nurses across the united states houle, 2001. The study aimed to analyze occupational health hazards among nurses at quena university. For convenience, occupational health problems among nurses may be categorized into four types, namely, biological hazards, chemical hazards, physical hazards, and psychosocial hazards. The data was collected from nurses by using questionnaires. This study analyzed occupational health hazards for intensive care unit icu nurses and nursing technicians, comparing differences in the number and types of hazards which occur at the beginning and end of their careers. Tina marrelli, msn, ma, rn editor home healthcare nurse the journal for the home care and hospice professional boca grande, fl kathleen m. Upper extremity, shoulder, and neck injuries are also common among nurses 4. Nearly twothird 64% of the participants affirmed being occasionally exposed to accidental type of hazards. Assessment of occupational health safety and hazard among.
Occupational health hazards among health care workers. Occupational hazard level was moderate among nurses in the icus, and most of the damages were related to the physical dimension. The data was collected from nawaz sharif social security hospital lahore pakistan. Occupational health hazards of hospital staff nurses part. Ergonomics related occupational health hazards among. The health of people in a work place is as important as the work they do and this focuses on public health. Very few studies have focused on the psychological hazards of nurses. An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. Chemical hazards of hospital staff nurses chemical occupational hazards are among the most insidious to hospital staff nurses and female workers kooker, 1987. Assessment of knowledge and attitude about occupational safety among nursing students. Moh, national nurses associations, and who occupational health collaborating centers. We are not aware of any other study that has reported on exposure to occupational health hazards at a national level in zambia. Exposure to stress occupational hazards in hospitals.
Staffing patterns and nurses working conditions are. Assessment of prevalence and risk factors of occupational hazards among nurses working in medical college hospital, thiruvananthapuram nurses form an integral part of the health care delivery system. Registered nurses often face workplace hazards while performing routine duties. Additional literature is needed to reduce the rate of ergonomics health hazards faced by nurses as mentioned by the authors. Working environment, responsibilities, and duties of nurses put them in the frontline of numerous occupational hazards. Prevalence and response to occupational hazards among nursing. Nepalese nurses are working in diversified working environment all over the world.
In conclusion, the results indicate that zambian workers are exposed to a broad range of occupational health hazards. Evaluation of occupational hazards for nurses in intensive. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of exposure to occupational hazards among nursing students and to determine the degree to which. Occupational health, hazards, awareness, staff nurses. Nurses, especially in emergency department, continue to experience high rates of onthejob violence. Disinfectants and sterility products such as glutaraldehyde and ethylene oxide, hazardous drugs such as drugs that are used during chemotherapy, and latex exposure are among other occupational hazards for nurses. The level of knowledge regarding occupational hazards among. Assessment of knowledge and attitude about occupational. Occupational health hazards of hospital staff nurses part ii. Occupational health hazards among healthcare workers in. Heightened awareness of respiratory and other occupational hazards that healthcare professionals encounter on the job is needed. Protecting human health against health and safety hazards occurring in the work environment. This theory applied to this research study because this study is mainly based on the prevention of occupational hazards among nurses.
Nurses continue to report high levels of jobrelated injury and illness. This paper considers the principal occupational exposures of health care workers. In this article, the purpose is to identify some of the workrelated risk and hazards among a sample of nurses in central hospital warri. This study examined occupational hazard preventive measures among nurses in a nigerian tertiary health. Occupational hazards can encompass many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards biohazards, psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. The level of knowledge regarding occupational hazards among nurses in abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria. Scaling up in southern africa sadc region to implement successes of the pilot project. Out of the 296 valid responses from the two hospitals, it was found that 87% of them said they are aware of occupational health hazards at their workplaces and that working in a psychiatric hospital was more risky than other healthcare facilities.
Nurses work and occupational exposure to infectious disease all healthcare workers face a wide range of hazards on. The vast majority of nurses experience persistent jobrelated pain. The level of knowledge regarding occupational hazards. Nursing profession is in higher risk compared to other profession. The professionals involved in the occupational health team includes, some or all of the following. Most studies examining occupational health and safety among nurses, however, have been conducted in north america and europe. This could be explained by the fact that gaza strip is a very poor area in which the hospitals suffer from severe shortages in infrastructure, equipment, supplies and human resources.
They exhibit a higherthanaverage risk of sustaining musculoskeletal disorders. Occupational hazards in nursing pubmed central pmc. Nurses are faced with risk of occupational hazards, hence the need for use of personal protective. Occupational hazard preventive measures among nurses in a. This appendix summarizes some of the major hazards nurses may face onthejob, and provides statistics for illnesses and injuries among nurses associated with working. Occupational health nurses use the nursing process to provide ethical, confidential nursing care to workers and. Physical hazard safety awareness among healthcare workers. Hospital workers are exposed to many occupational hazards that may threaten their health and safety. Health, education and training of occupational health nurses, national institute for working life, stockholm, sweden ms. The role of the occupational health nurse in workplace health. Occupational injuries and illnesses among registered nurses. Awareness of occupational health hazards among staff nurses.
Future research should verify these findings and assess the potential interventions that may enhance nurses health and wellbeing and promote. United states one in five reported nonfatal workrelated accidents occurred among workers in. We conducted a crosssectional study utilizing quantitative data collection methods among 200 respondents who worked in 8 major health facilities in kampala. This study showed that there was high degree of awareness regarding occupational health hazards among the staff nurses at tertiary care hospital keywords. Occupational hazard as a term signifies both longterm and shortterm risks associated with the workplace environment and is a field of study within occupational safety and health and public health. These implements have drastically reduced injuries among nurses and, in turn, cut costs associated with workers compensation claims. A descriptive crosssectional study was carried out with 26 nurses and 96 nursing technicians from a public hospital in the federal district, brazil. The study also revealed that information on occupational hazards safety and support is provided to some nurses but not to all of them. National institute for occupational safety and health niosh. Occupational health and safety issues among nurses in the. Communication of hazards to employees and training recordkeeping sharps injury log.
Exposure to stress centers for disease control and. Occupational risk and hazards related nurses working in. Occupational health a manual for primary health care workers world health organization regional office for the eastern mediterranean whoemoch85el. Ergonomics related occupational health hazards among nurses. In general, studies of nurses have found the following factors to be linked with stress. According to the results, significant differences were observed between occupational hazards and variables of gender, marital status, educational level, and work experience p 0. Historically, the turnover rate among nurses is more than double that for other professionals of comparable edu. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding. In a large survey conducted among 323 clinical staff in a public psychiatric hospital, kelly et al. The type and severity of their workplace injuries and illnesses differ by worker age and work environment. Occupational health hazards, many of which are avoidable and preventable while others are inevitable, being parts of the everyday duties. A national occupational hazards sur vey reported 179known skin and eye irritants and 5 carcinogenic, muta genic, or teratogenic agents in hospi tals niosh, 1985. Stressors vary among health care occupations and even within occupations, depending on the task being performed.
Nurses are faced with risk of occupational hazards, hence the need for use of personal protective equipment ppe. Mcphaul, phd, mph, rn university of maryland school of nursing baltimore, m. The study also revealed that information on occupational hazardssafety and support is provided to. Nurses are among professionals who are constantly under risk of occupational accidents, such as needle stick injuries, exposure to chemical materials, and acquisition of musculoskeletal injuries. The key safety issues imparting this work force include needle stick injuries, workplace.