Assessing occupational health and safety in medical waste management among health professionals in Liberian hospitals

Title : Assessing occupational health and safety in medical waste management among health professionals in Liberian hospitals

Abstract:

Occupational health is a concern for disease prevention and control in healthcare facilities. Many hospitals in African nations have endured low resource availability and capacity, resulting in inadequate healthcare waste management and low infection control. These conditions led to a growing number of studies on healthcare waste management, but relatively little is known about the integration of both occupational health and safety, particularly in African countries. The study assesses occupational health and safety among health professionals. It examines two hospitals, C.H. Rennie Government Hospital and Phebe Hospital in Liberia. The primary data were collected through a questionnaire survey administered among 200 healthcare providers from October to November 2024. This survey was based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the management of healthcare waste. Descriptive analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel. The results reveal that, most notably, 70% of the respondents did not feel safe about managing such outbreaks as COVID-19 and Ebola. Regarding existing safety practices, over two-thirds reported experiencing work-related injuries, and a concerning one-third did not have timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis, highlighting deficits in protective measures and post-exposure response. These findings, among others to be discussed, underscore the urgent need for comprehensive occupational safety interventions, including training, vaccination, and emergency preparedness in Liberia and other African countries with similar healthcare management conditions.
Keywords: Healthcare waste management, occupational safety, hospitals, preparedness

Biography:

I am Josephine Brent Yeanga, a dedicated researcher and PhD student at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Japan. My foundational work focuses on urgent public health challenges in developing countries, particularly at the intersection of occupational safety and healthcare infrastructure. My current research, presented here, evaluates the effectiveness of medical waste management practices in Liberian hospitals. My findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive occupational safety measures, including standardized training, better vaccination access, and improved emergency preparedness, to safeguard frontline healthcare workers in low-resource settings.