OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACCIDENTS AMONG BIOMEDICAL WASTE HANDLERS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY

Abstract

Occupational accidents constitute significant problems that biomedical waste handlers face in Nairobi City County while in the line of duty. To address the problem, this study aimed to estab-lish the underlying causes of accidents despite the level of awareness in the waste management and handling practices The guiding objectives for exploring the subject were to assess the bio-medical waste classification and management challenges among Nairobi City County waste han-dlers, determine the occupational accidents among biomedical waste handlers and establish the compliance status of the employers with the local legislation (Statutory and subsidiary laws) governing the field of occupational safety and health. A mixed research method defined by both qualitative and quantitative paradigms informed the study. The qualitative paradigm was in-formed by drawing upon primary and secondary sources including journals and articles. The quantitative paradigm relied upon primary sources that constituted data collection using ques-tionnaires, observations and sample analysis. A sample size of one hundred and sixty eight (168) respondents was used in the survey with a target population of biomedical waste handlers in Nai-robi City County. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data using Statisti-cal Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed significant challenges such as laxity in complying with the waste handling and segregation and management guidelines, prac-tices and laws at different levels of waste management. High failure rates on the use of biomedi-cal protective equipment and improper maintenance of personal hygiene were among other con-tributing factors to the prevalence of occupational hazards. . How employee attitudes and com-pliance problems contribute to the problem of accidents among the waste handlers was also in-vestigated. It has been observed that, despite the implementation of biomedical waste handling regulations, policies, laws and standards at different levels of healthcare facilities and waste han-dling employees, occupational accidents are still rampant. Empirical evidence has been adduced which suggests that continued increase in the number of occupational accidents need to be inves-tigated to establish appropriate measures to protect biomedical waste handlers. Data collected from respondents revealed that 34.3 % of the respondents wore gloves while 65.6% % do not while on duty, which infers that a large number of employees are at risk of injuries from pricks in the hands and fingers and potential contaminations. 71.3% of those involved in the study wear masks while 28.8% do not wear mouth masks . The risk of communicable diseases is therefore relatively high among the biomedical waste handlers due the high. Failure by employers to comply with the statutory laws, regulatory requirements and the lack of reliable accident man-agement best practices to safeguard bio-medical waste handlers were additional contributing fac-tors. The study recommends the County government of Nairobi to design awareness programs on best practices in waste management.