Occupational Hazards and Work-Related Quality of Life among Health Workers in Primary Health Care Facilities in Calabar, Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria
Background: Occupational hazards severely impact primary healthcare workers' work-related quality of life (WRQoL), contributing to global health worker deaths exceeding malaria and directly compromising patient care quality amidst personnel shortages. A critical lack of effective safety measures and training leaves these workers vulnerable to physical and psychological harm. This study assessed exposure to occupational hazards and WRQoL among health workers in primary healthcare facilities in Calabar metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was adopted. The sample comprised 195 healthcare workers from 18 primary healthcare centers selected using convenience sampling. A standardized questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.8) was self-administered to obtain socio-demographic data, occupational hazards, safety measures, and WRQoL. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 for descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square test). Results: The study revealed high exposure to occupational hazards, with 120 respondents (61.54%) reporting biological hazards "Always" and 167 (85.64%) reporting psychological hazards "Always." Overall, 77 (39.49%) experienced high prevalence, 101 (51.79%) moderate prevalence, and 17 (8.72%) low prevalence of occupational hazards. Safety measures were inadequate: 78 respondents (40.0%) received no training on handling occupational hazards, and 117 (60.0%) rated received training as "Inadequate" or "Very inadequate." Only 60 (30.77%) used PPE "Always," while 110 (56.41%) used it "Sometimes." Furthermore, 178 (91.28%) reported experiencing a work-related injury or illness. Overall safety practices were low, with only 11 (5.64%) reporting high safety practices. WRQoL showed mixed results: 70 (35.90%) reported good, 115 (58.97%) moderate, and 10 (5.13%) poor WRQoL. Chi-square analysis demonstrated no significant relationship between hazard exposure and WRQoL (χ² = 4.756, df = 4, p = 0.313). Significant relationships were found between WRQoL and job title (χ² = 18.398, df = 6, p = 0.005), years of experience (χ² = 64.851, df = 6, p = 0.001), and department (χ² = 30.304, df = 6, p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrates high exposure to occupational hazards and significant deficiencies in safety measures among primary healthcare workers in Calabar. While WRQoL was moderate for most, no significant relationship was found between hazard exposure and WRQoL. However, job title, experience, and department significantly influenced WRQoL. Targeted interventions are urgently needed to improve the well-being of these essential healthcare providers and ultimately enhance primary healthcare service quality.