Abstract:

Nursing is a risky and hazardous occupation in the developing countries, but little is known about the occupational risk and hazards facing the nursing work force in Nigeria. In this article, the purpose is to identify some of the work-related risk and hazards among a sample of nurses in central hospital warri. Cross-sectional data were collected through a self-administered survey in the hospital facilities. 25 questionnaires was submitted, 22 Nurses returned theirs (88%) Measures included four categories: work-related demographics, occupational risk /illness, reporting behaviour, and safety awareness. From the study, the result shows that Nurse who are not satisfy with the working conditions (working environment, safety measures, staff shortage, etc), at the Hospital has 78.9%, Over 85% are faced with extreme pressure at work, while 57.89% report any work-related health risk and hazards to the hospital authorities, 80%, of the sample of nurses experienced fatigue (temporal loss of strength and energy from hard physical/mental work. While 50% of Nurses experience low back pain and are regularly exposed to contagious pathogens/agent the results also revealed that 70% of the nurses claim they work under unclean working environments. 15% of nurses are exposed to radiation as stated in the data collected, another 20 % have been involved in electrical shock accident. 85% of Nurses understand their role in the safety and health management system, while 65% of nurses say that the management team do not regularly inspect the hospital. Future research should examine a factor which leads to risks and strengthen policies?

Keywords: Risk, Nurses, hazards Ergonomics, Nigeria

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