Awareness of the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 (Act 328) at KNUST, Ghana

This paper establishes the awareness levels of the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 328 (FOSA), which relates to occupational safety and health (OSH) in Ghana. Data collection involved administering questionnaires to sampled individuals and key informants from the campus of KNUST. Questionnaires were designed to capture data on FOSA awareness levels, compliance and respondents’ perception of its effectiveness. There is generally low awareness level of FOSA and other existing laws on health and safety. Less respondents, between 40% and 25% from the general and key informant surveys respectively were aware of OSH laws. There is relatively high awareness level associated with the Labour Act 651 representing 60%, followed by FOSA (27%) and finally Workmen’s Compensation Law 187 (13%). On compliance, while over 90% have access to sanitary facilities, findings on fire-detecting and fire-fighting equipment availability, and reporting of incidents to authorities are worrying. Also most emergencies exits have no inscriptions to guide premises users incase of any emergencies. It is recommended that nationwide study should be conducted to establish the extent of low OSH awareness levels. Discussions on exploring the opportunities to incorporate OSH into Ghana’s educational and job trainings should be stimulated. Keywords: Act 328, awareness, FOSA, Ghana, health and safet

Anaemia awareness, beliefs and practices among pregnant women: A baseline assessment at Brosankro community in Ghana.

Anaemia in pregnancy is among the top health threats in developing countries. Ghana has adopted several strategies over the years against anaemia but it remains a major cause of infant and maternal deaths. This paper assesses anaemia awareness levels, beliefs and practices among pregnant women of an endemic community. A baseline survey was conducted on 28 pregnant women randomly selected from first 100 consistent antenatal attendees from August to October 2011 at Brosankro Health Centre. The results show high anaemia consciousness with few respondents claiming no knowledge of the causes (3%) and effects (14%). The easily known cause of anaemia is poor diet (63%) followed by malaria (26%), worms (5%) and others (6%). Meanwhile, food sources that can fight anaemia are poorly known (18%). Cultural and religious beliefs in food restrictions exist and fairly a significant number of women (38%) are denied potential dietary nutrients. There are potential health risks (including anaemia) associated with existing practices since barriers to parasitic infections like malaria and worms via use of insecticide treated bed nets, intermittent preventive treatment, improved drinking water sources and effective handwashing are compromised. Respondents’ understanding on effective barriers against anaemia in pregnancy needs to be deepened. Keywords: anaemia awareness; beliefs; practices; pregnant women, drinking wate

Capital maintenance study, the case of water supply systems in selected small towns

This Capital Maintenance Expenditure (CapManEx) study of seven Small Towns’ Water Systems provides understanding of the recurrent cost elements needed for sustainable services delivery. Field visits were carried out to the water systems and copies of available records on O&M were obtained. A data classification guide was used to classify the data and adjusted to the year 2011 using Gross Domestic Product deflators. The classified data was annualised to find the average total cumulative cost

Evaluation of user experiences for the Clean Team Ghana container-based sanitation service in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract: There are few affordable and acceptable sanitation solutions for dense, low-income urban settlements. Though container-based toilets are a safely managed sanitation solution, little is known about user experiences to inform how such a solution should be viewed by governments. We conducted a before and after enrolment study of objective and subjective measures of sanitation quality due to the Clean Team Ghana (CTG) container-based toilet service in Kumasi, Ghana from June to December 2019. We collected data immediately prior to installation and 10 weeks afterwards for 292 customers. Most of them initially used public toilets with good structural quality, but sometimes these toilets had poor hygiene, lacked handwashing facilities, and required a 14.3-min mean time to use. We found that CTG delivered a high-quality service that positively impacted the quality of life of customers, saved them money, reduced gender gaps in the quality of life, and addressed the needs of those with physical disabilities. Problems with the CTG service, such as leaking, filling, smelling, or not being replaced as scheduled, were reported by fewer than 10% of customers. This evaluation supports the growing body of evidence that container-based sanitation provides a service valued by users in dense urban settlements

Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in the Sunyani Municipality of Ghana

Adolescent pregnancy is an important social and public health issue worldwide, and it is linked to several social and economic consequences. This study sought to investigate the factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana. This study was an unmatched case-control among adolescents aged 15–19 years. The cases were pregnant and parenting adolescents, and controls were non-pregnant adolescents with no birth experience. Data were collected from 245 participants (120 cases and 125 controls) through a structured questionnaire survey and analysed with STATA version 12 for risk factors of adolescent pregnancy using Pearson’s chi-square test and logistic regression.The average age of study participants was 16.9 ± 1.15 years. Place of residence, occupation and economic status were found to be associated with adolescent pregnancy. Multiple logistic regression revealed that adolescents from urban settings, Abesim zone (OR = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.35), and New Dormaa zone (OR = 0.19, 95% CI 0.05–0.77) had decreased odds of adolescent pregnancy compared to their rural counterpart-Antwikrom zone. Adolescents were also at increased odds of becoming pregnant when they were into apprenticeships (OR = 9.77, 95% CI 2.00–47.75) or unemployed (OR = 11.69, 95% CI 4.47–30.58) than being in school. Adolescents with low economic background (OR = 4.05, 95% CI 1.43–11.52) were 4.1 times more likely to get pregnant compared to those with high economic status.Key factors associated with adolescent pregnancy have been established and these need attention from all stakeholders to forestall public and social health safety among adolescents. Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy, Case control, Sunyani, Ghan

Shared Sanitation in Low-income Urban Settlements in Ghana

This policy brief presents the main results of a three-country study on Quality Indicators of Shared Sanitation (QUISS). QUISS assessed when shared sanitation is acceptable and what is needed to establish minimal acceptability requirements. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in Ghana, Kenya and Bangladesh in 2019. This brief highlights the research findings for Ghana and provides recommendations for strengthening the acceptability, functionality and sustainability of Ghana’s shared sanitation facilities in low-income urban settlements

Indigenous plants for informal greywater treatment and reuse by some households in Ghana

Poor greywater management is one of Ghana's sanitation nightmares due to longstanding neglect. This study looks at local practices of informal phytoremediation, and identifies commonly used plants and benefits. Our study collected data from 451 surveyed houses in nine communities within three regions, using structured questionnaires and extensive field observations. Greywater (kitchen, bathroom and laundry) is mainly disposed of into the open (46–66%), with few (4–24%) using septic tanks and soakaway systems. The majority of respondents (84%) perceived plants as agents of treatment and most could list 1–2 beneficial functions of the plants. A total of 1,259 plant groups were identified which belonged to 36 different plant species. The top five indigenous plants used are sugarcane, banana/plantain, taro, sweet/wild basil, and dandelion. The major plant benefits identified were food (84% of respondents) and medicine (62% of respondents). Statistically, no association was identified between the numbers of plants grown and their perceived plant roles (χ2 = 6.022, p = 0.304), with the exception of an association between plant numbers and benefits (χ2 = 161.94, p < 0.001). There is demand for improving local practices of using plants in greywater treatment and reuse, since native plants also come with other benefits

Greywater generation and reuse among residents of low-income urban settlements in the Oforikrom Municipal Assembly, Ghana

Greywater management in Ghana has yet to receive the needed attention even though its current generation and reuse practices pose severe environmental and public health concerns, including odour nuisance, groundwater pollution, and risks from pathogens. This study examined the current greywater generation and reuse patterns among low-income urban residents in Kumasi, Ghana. Data were collected from three communities (Ayeduase, Kotei, and Twumduase) through cluster sampling, and a total of 458 questionnaires were administered to households. The average amount of greywater generated for various activities in low-income urban settlements was 53.7 l/c/d. The results showed that greywater reuse is not common among the study participants, but those who reuse it prefer laundry to kitchen and bathroom greywater. The proportion of greywater reuse was estimated at 20.1%, with 2.6, 0.9, and 17.9% of households reusing greywater from the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, respectively. Factors that significantly influenced greywater reuse included age, the community of residence, and the type of house. The study suggests that increased education and awareness about greywater treatment, reuse, and impacts in low-income urban communities could lead to increased participation in its management. HIGHLIGHTS The average amount of greywater generated in low-income urban settlements is determined.; Data for planning are available.; Factors influencing greywater reuse are determined.; Community members have become aware of the opportunities for greywater reuse.; Education needed for the implementation of greywater treatment and management systems.

Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources in a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Wastewater in Ghana

Wastewater management remains a major challenge in developing countries due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, making the need for economically viable and efficient technologies that can be sustained by emerging economies imperative. The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor represents an efficient and low-cost technology that produces by-products from which valuable resources can be recovered. This study assessed the energy recovery potential in the form of electricity from biogas and sludge by-products produced by a full-scale UASB reactor. Biogas production rate and composition were monitored to determine the biogas energy recovery potential. Dehydrated sludge from sludge drying beds was likewise quantified and characterised for its elemental composition, immediate composition, gross calorific value and net calorific value to estimate sludge energy recovery potential. The average daily biogas production was found to be 611 ± 275 Nm3/d, with 65% methane in the biogas output. Average sludge dry matter production was determined to be 358.24 TS kg/d. The net energy recovery potential was estimated to be 534.1 MWh/yr, 36% more than the yearly energy demand (392.7 MWh/yr) of the entire plant. Conservative energy recovery at a UASB-based municipal wastewater treatment facility could serve as a self-supply energy option to support its operations

Indicators for Sanitation Quality in Low-Income Urban Settlements: Evidence from Kenya, Ghana, and Bangladesh

In recent years, shared facilities have contributed substantially to increased access to sanitation in urban areas. While shared sanitation is often the only viable option in densely-populated, low-income urban areas, it is currently considered a “limited" solution by the international community. In this paper, we analyze the conditions under which shared sanitation could be considered of adequate quality and propose a set of indicators associated with sanitation quality to be included in national household surveys. We conducted a survey with 3600 households and 2026 observational spot-checks of shared and individual household toilets in Kisumu (Kenya), Kumasi (Ghana), and Dhaka (Bangladesh). We develop a composite sanitation quality outcome measure based on observational data. Using regression analysis, we identify self-reported indicators that correlate with the spot-checked composite measure and are, therefore, robust with regard to reporting bias. Results show that (pour-) flush toilets are a highly informative indicator for sanitation quality compared to other toilet technologies. In contrast to previous arguments and depending on the context, sharing a toilet has a comparatively lower correlation with sanitation quality. Toilets still show good quality if shared among only 2–3 households. Toilet location and lighting, as well as the presence of a lockable door, are equally strong indicators for sanitation quality and could serve as alternative indicators. The findings suggest that the sanitation service levels defined by the WHO and UNICEF might be reconsidered to better capture the quality of sanitation facilities in low-income urban settlements.ISSN:0303-8300ISSN:1573-092