Occupational safety and health status in medical laboratories in Kajiado County, Kenya (2017-2018)

Abstract

Medical laboratories can be dangerous to work in and have been associated with serious occupational exposures that expose health workers to numerous potential hazards thus warranting effective mitigatory measures. It is estimated that every day, around the world, 6300 individuals die due to job-related, accidents and diseases and this attributes to 2.3 million annual deaths. More than 337 million workplace accidents are result of poor health practices and occupational safety. In spite of increase in OSH interest, the available studies conducted in developing nations have focused medical laboratories’ OSH in general and a larger number of workplace injuries occur without proper documentation. The present study evaluated the status of medical laboratories’ OSH within Kajiado County, Kenya. The objectives entailed establishment of chemical, physical and biological hazards; reviewing control measures in medical laboratories and enumerating factors affecting implementation of good OSH practices. The study adopted cross-sectional research design. The study used interview schedules, structure questionnaire, interview and observation checklists. The researcher was conducted in 108 medical laboratories in Kajiado County and the sampled participants were 204. Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS version 20) was used in analysis of data. The results revealed that the most common type of hazard in the medical laboratories were biological hazard (bacteria 80%), chemical hazards (handling of unmarked and unlabeled chemical contributed to 38.2%) and physical hazards (dangerous placing of laboratory equipment contributed to 49.5%). The study also found that control measures among medical laboratory staff include BCG vaccination (95%), proper waste disposal equipment in medical facilities (92.6%), HIV screening (87%), Hepatitis B vaccination (82%), hand washing practices, provision of post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) (72%) and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (60%). Further, the factors hindering implementation of good practices among medical laboratory staff in Kajiado County include negative attitude on OSH (47.1%), inadequate resources/ infrastructure (41.2%), Poor design of lab (39.7%), lack of policy on occupational health safety in the facilities (34.8%), inadequate training on OHS (29.4%), ignorance/lack of awareness (26.5%), lack of personal protective equipment(s) (8.8%) and poor ergonomics (5.9%). The study recommends that occupational health and safety guidelines of medical laboratories should be ratified and adopted as well as effectively communicated to all stakeholders as required by the law so as to guide individuals in hazard management in medical laboratories. In addition, the management of medical laboratories in Kajiado County should develop internal policies to prevent biological, chemical and physical hazards. Further, there should be training of all workers on OSH as per the OSHA, 2007 regulations. The training should also cover importance of screening and vaccinations, use of PPE, use of PEP among other practices as control measures for hazards in the laboratories. Also, the management of medical laboratories should provide adequate resources/ infrastructure to enable the implementation of good practices among medical laboratory staff. Also, the management should provide personal protective equipment(s) and proper ergonomics for utilization in laboratories.