African Journal of Health, Safety and Environment

ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AMONG COMMERCIAL BUS DRIVERS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

2025-02-11T06:04:38+01:00

Road traffic injuries are critical Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) issues which pose a significant public health challenge. This study assessed the HSE measures among commercial bus drivers in Lagos State, Nigeria transport corridors. The study was cross-sectional and utilized the mixed-method approach. Structured questionnaires were administered to 105 commercial bus drivers while 10 Key informant interviews were conducted on HSE enforcers. The study took place across two locations in Lagos, Nigeria - Oshodi and Yaba, known for their high vehicular traffic and commercial activities. Data was statistically and content-analyzed. Driving in Lagos Nigeria is a gendered occupation dominated by males. Drivers exhibited varied levels of knowledge and compliance with HSE measures, with danger warning signs being the most familiar while special regulation signs were less recognized. Possession of a driving license, roadworthy vehicles, regular maintenance, and defensive driving knowledge were relatively high, indicating a notable degree of HSE awareness and practice. Although over-speeding emerged as the primary cause of accidents and more than half (55.2%) attested to taking alcohol while driving, enforcement of HSE measures was deemed strong in the State, with lower accident rates compared to other states. Adopting and enforcing HSE measures is critical in mitigating road accidents, preserving human lives, improving public health, and reducing economic costs. There is need for comprehensive HSE awareness, continuous training and stronger enforcement in Lagos State, Nigeria.

AMELIORATING AND ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS OF STEM-BARK AND LEAF EXTRACTS OF Ficus exasperata ON 1,2-DIMETHYL HYDRAZINE-INDUCED DAMAGE OF RENAL FUNCTION

2025-02-21T06:34:53+01:00

Medicinal plants are globally recognized for their role in maintaining health, Ficus species are being recognized for their potential medicinal properties, particularly Ficus exasperata. 1,2-dimethyl hydrazine (DMH) is a potent colon carcinogen that is known to potentiate its carcinogenicity by inducing oxidative stress in the general circulation. Renal oxidative stress and haematological changes were induced in male Wistar rats by 1,2-dimethyl hydrazine (DMH). A total of thirty-five (35) rats were used for the study and divided into seven groups. The first group served as the control, groups 2 and 3 served as the leaf and stem bark extract groups of Ficus exasperata respectively, groups 4 was the DMH control, groups 5 and 6 were the leaf and stem bark extract of Ficus exasperata post-treated groups respectively, while group 7 was the combined extract post-treated group. The study revealed that exposure to DMH experimental rats decreased the antioxidants and increased oxidative stress. Treatment with the plant extracts boosted a significant increase in the antioxidant status (p < 0.05). Haematology study showed that the administration of DMH led to a reduced concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin while treatments with the plant extracts elevated these parameters relative to the normal control. This study shows that DMH causes oxidative stress in kidney and red blood cells but the combination of methanol leaf and stem bark extracts of F. exasperata had a greater impact in reducing the negative effect of DMH compared to group 5 and 6.

APPLICATION OF JOB SAFETY ANALYSIS IN COPPER MINING OPERATIONS: A REVIEW

2025-02-27T19:31:19+01:00

Job Safety (JS) is an important element in people’s lives in the copper-mining world despite risk challenges. The main challenges are the hazards and risks. The purpose of the study was to establish whether the application of Job Safety analysis (JSA) could be a meaningful approach to evaluating the dangers that impinge on job safety. The purpose job explanation, the physical inspection, qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods were used. The results showed that a probability above 80% (81<X<100%) meant that the JS in that job step needed an urgent review. The probability below 20% (20>X>0%) meant that the impact was trivial. The probabilities between 21 to 40% showed that the impact was low and a decision can be judged by experience while that from 41 to 60 meant a medium impact and the decision could also be based on experience while that from 61 to 80% meant that the impact was severe and attention was needed to the process. The areas that required urgent review, based on quantitative risk were in blasting, electricity, dust particles and ventilation with risk ratings of 88.2, 64.8, 16 and 12.8 % respectively. Based on qualitative risks, areas that required review include blasting (12.6 %), electricity (10.8 %) and dust particles (4.2 %). Therefore, the study emphasized that integrating JS and JSA with proactive hazard identification and mitigation could reduce workplace incidents. Involving the workforce and maintaining continuous feedback ensures JSA evolves with changing risks, enhancing safety culture and reducing accidents.

DETERMINANTS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES AMONG SOLID WASTE SCAVENGERS IN OWERRI, NIGERIA

2025-03-18T06:42:38+01:00

Behavioural tendencies that affect the attitude of waste scavengers towards health and safety risks associated with handling municipal waste coming from multiple streams are poorly understood. The study assesses occupational health and safety (OHS) practices among solid waste scavengers in Owerri metropolis, to ascertain determinants of risk factors associated with waste scavenging. The study was conducted within Owerri Urban, where data collection involved a cross-sectional survey of 468 solid scavengers. The study findings show that about 80% of surveyed waste scavengers sort/separate waste manually, with 39.5% operating without PPE. Chemists/pharmacists and herbalists are most frequently consulted for health challenges by 70.7% of surveyed waste scavengers. Metals and batteries are the waste materials with the most potential to cause harm, as posited by 58.9% of surveyed waste scavengers. The study found that 'Hours of waste scavenging in a day' (R = .220, p = .000), was the only variable that was statistically significant in predicting injuries due to waste scavenging activities. 'Age' (R = .117, p = .011), 'Hours of waste scavenging in a day' (R = .146, p = .002), 'Days of waste scavenging in a week' (R = .180, p = .000), 'Monthly income from waste scavenging' (R = .093, p = .045) and 'Waste scavenging experience' (R = .095, p = .041) were all statistically significant in predicting illness due to waste scavenging activities. Due to their role in reducing overall waste volume in urban centres, it is recommended that more efforts be made towards providing waste scavengers with better PPE.