Hazards Exposures of Workers of Animal Related Occupations in Abeokuta Southwestern, Nigeria

A cross-sectional survey was carried out to determine the hazard exposures of workers of animal related occupations in Abeokuta Southwestern, Nigeria. A total of 230 workers consisting of Animal health workers, Veterinarians, Abattoir workers, Livestock keepers, Poultry attendants, Animal handlers and Fish farm workers were randomly surveyed using a well-structured questionnaire. Questions were asked on Occupational hazard knowledge and exposures, zoonoses awareness and prevention, and employer’s responsibilities towards hazards prevention and management. The workers had adequate knowledge of occupational hazards. A prevalence of 69.6% occupational hazard exposures was discovered and workers were at risk of myriad of occupational specific and non- specific hazards. 6.5% work related hospitalization was observed among the workers, Thirty-three (14.3%) of the respondents have experienced occupational related diseases/sickness. Workers have average to adequate knowledge of zoonoses but poor knowledge of preventive measures. Employers’ responsibilities towards prevention and control of occupational hazards were inadequate. The findings in this study has provided a baseline list of hazards from different occupations in this study area for future researches and also the findings may be useful for developing policies for preventing occupationally-related hazards in animal related establishments.