HOW TO WRITE AN ACCIDENT REPORT

Usually, a police officer would be called to the scene of an accident. If a police detective is not available, you as an Environmental Health Officer or Safety officer on duty who witnessed the accident might need to write their own accident reports and file appropriately.
Here is how to write an accident report.

DO A GOOD LIST OF ALL ESSENTIAL DETAILS:
The first thing to do is to list all the essential details of the accident.

Usually, if an accident was minor, then participants might not want to bother calling the police. But for insurance and legal purposes, it is wise for someone to fill out an accident report. If you have been in an accident, there are three main categories of information that you will need to report:

1) Environmental circumstances,

2) People at the location of the accident and

3) The vehicles involved.

Try to be objective. Write down the time, date and location of the accident. You will need to be very detailed with not only the city, county and state, but the cross streets and exact position on the street where the accident occurred. Note any debris or skid (tyre marks) also. Take pictures if you can.

1.) Environmental factors: These could include the amount of light (natural or artificial), street conditions, amount of traffic and weather. Note any significant landmarks, especially property that might have damaged: signs, fences or buildings. If there was property damage, include the name of the owner, address and estimated cost of damage.

2.)  Next, identify the people at the accident location. You must note the primary drivers involved in the accident-reporting and any other party involved also. Other people listed would include passengers, drivers, conductors etc , and some key bystanders that are not involved in the accident.
Include name, age, gender, home address and contact information for all the people. For the drivers add drivers licence number and insurance policy. List all injuries (and deaths if any) with the name, severity and hospital if applicable.

NOTE: YOU NEED TO CREATE A MAP DIAGRAM (ROUGH SKETCH) OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE

3.) The third stage is to recreate the position, velocity and vehicles on the scene. What is the vehicle type, make, model and year? Include license plate information, number, issuing state and year of expiration.

List the original location of each vehicle on the site and velocity (direction and speed) before impact. Next, note the position of all parties at impact.
Finally, show where the vehicles ended up after the accident. Describe the damage to the vehicles along with the cost of repairing it. Can the vehicle be salvaged?

People should be able to understand what happened by reading your accident report. At the end, sign and date your accident report to make it official.

-Reference:
J. Hirby

HAZARD AND RISK: THE DIFFERENCE SIMPLIFIED.

In the field of Environmental Health & Safety today, the words HAZARD and RISK are the most commonly used words but surprisingly, those key words are often loosely used and erroneously too. Even amongst scholars in post graduate studies. Understanding the relative meaning of these two words and identifying their differences generated heated debate during  classroom studies of some post graduate students. Hence the EHSadvisor's decision to clarify scholars and HSE practitioners alike. 

Though the meaning of the word "Hazard" can be confusing atimes, even amongst scholars. Often the dictionary is not helpful in getting the true definition of the two key words in HSE practice. True, dictionaries do not give specific definitions, or mostly combine it with the term "risk" as definition. For example, even some dictionary definition could be misleading to many. The contemporary  English dictionary defines hazard as "a danger or risk" and that is what actually helps to explain why many people use the terms interchangeably thereby creating confusion.

A.)  WHAT IS A HAZARD?

In trying to define hazard, you have to be mindful of the context you are employing the word.  Though there are many definitions for hazard but the most common definition when talking about Environmental Health and Safety is:

A HAZARD is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on human,  something or both.

In Environmental Health and Safety, Hazard identification/elimination and risk assessment /control uses the following terms:

1.)  Harm - physical injury or damage to health.

2.)  Hazard - a potential source of harm to a worker, organisation or the environment....

Basically, it is pertinent to point out that a hazard is the potential for harm or an adverse effect. For example, to people it's relating to the health effects in humans.  To organizations, its relates as property or equipment losses, or to the environment).

Sometimes the resulting harm is erroneously  referred to as the hazard instead of the actual source of the hazard. For example, the disease tuberculosis (TB) might be erroneously called a "hazard" by some but, in earnest, the TB-causing bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) is actually considered the "hazard" or "hazardous biological agent" by professionals. To better clarify what hazard means truly, lets explore more into it by pointing out some types of hazard.

 TYPES OF HAZARDS

A common way to classify hazards is by category:

• Biological Hazards  - Bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans, etc.,
• Chemical Hazards - Depends on the physical, chemical and toxic properties of the chemical,
• Ergonomic Hazards  - Repetitive movements, improper set up of workstation, etc.,
• Physical Hazards  - Radiation, magnetic fields, pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise, etc.,
• Psychosocial Hazards - Stress, violence, etc.,
• Safety Hazards - unsafe acts,  slipping/tripping hazards, inappropriate machine guarding, equipment malfunctions or breakdowns.

In Environmental Health and Safety, or workplace hazards can come from a wide range of sources. General examples of hazard includes any substance, material, process, practice, etc. that has the ability to cause harm or adverse health effect to a person or property. See Table 1.  

NOTE: Workplace hazards also includes practices or conditions that release uncontrolled energy, like:

1.)  An object that could fall from a height (potential or gravitational energy),

2.)  A run-away chemical reaction (chemical energy),

3.)  The release of compressed gas or steam (pressure; high temperature),

4.)   Entanglement of hair or clothing in rotating machine or equipment (kinetic energy), or

5.)   Contact with electrodes of a battery or capacitor (electrical energy).

Does it really help you? You may please give feedback by using the comment box or send us an email: ehsadvisor@gmail.com

Let's now discuss RISK. 

B.)  WHAT IS RISK?

Risk is simply the chance, or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard. It may also apply to situations with property or equipment loss, or harmful effects on the environment.

In Environmental Health terms,  RISK is the chance, or probability that the environment may suffer degradation or pollution if exposed  to a hazard or a nuisance. 

In Occupational health and safety - Hazard identification and elimination /  risk assessment and control uses the following terms:

Risk – the combination of the likelihood of the occurrence of a harm and the severity of that harm.

Likelihood – the chance of something happening.
Note: In risk assessment terminology, the word “likelihood” is used to refer to the chance or probability of something happening, whether defined, measured, or determined objectively or subjectively, qualitatively or quantitatively, and described using general terms or mathematically (e.g., a probability or a frequency over a given time period).

For example: the risk of developing cancer from smoking cigarettes could be expressed as:

"cigarette smokers are 12 times (for example) more likely to die of lung cancer than non-smokers", or "the number per 100,000 smokers who will develop lung cancer" (actual number depends on factors such as their age and how many years they have been smoking). These risks are expressed as a probability or likelihood of developing a disease or getting injured, whereas hazard refers to the agent responsible (i.e. smoking).

There are factors that influence the degree or likelihood of RISK. They are:

1.)   The nature of the exposure: How much a person is exposed to a hazardous substance  or condition (e.g., several times a day or once a year etc), 

2.)    How the person is exposed: The mode of exposure (e.g., breathing in a vapour; through skin contact), and

3.)    The severity of the effect. For example, one substance may cause skin cancer, while another may cause skin irritation. Cancer is a much more serious effect than irritation.

Does this help your understanding?  Give us a feedback by using the comment  box or send us an email: ehsadvisor@gmail.com.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. TRUST AND OBEY HIM TO LIVE A SAFE, HEALTHY AND QUALITY LIFE.

 Environmental Health Officers are very friendly professionals with the singular aim of ensuring that your Environment is safe and healthy to live in.  The Environmental Health Officer loves you and ensures that:

1.) You keep your environment clean at all times

2.)  Your children's school environment is clean, healthful suitable for better learning to take place.

3.  Your food and food premises are always very hygienic and disease free so you do not eat contaminated or unhealthy food and fall ill.

4.  Your wastes and indeed the city's wastes are sanitarily collected and disposed of regularly so you don't get infected as a result of poor waste management.

5.  Your work place is healthy and safe from nuisances and other risks/health hazards associated with your work place.

6.  Your building plan, house/housing is safe for habitation

7.   Collect and dispose of your sewage sanitarily to avoid diseases associated with  feacal contamination in your environment.

8.  Your Environmental problems and complaints are properly investigated and abated to ensure you live a healthy life.

9.  Your drains are flowing properly so mosquitoes don't give you malaria and other diseases.

10.  Proper health education to boost better living condition in your area.

11.  Etc! etc!! etc!!!

With all the above duties, tell me, who loves you better than the ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

 OFFICER?

The Environmental Health Officer is your best friend, and not your enemy. Obey him for better health and living quality of life.

SUPPORT THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER TODAY!!! 

   Souvenirs loadin.... Ready to get one and partner with us.

-EHSadvisor

EHORECON PARTNERS NESREA ON PRACTICE REGULATION

The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) and  the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESRA) intend to synergise their practice regulations.

This is to bridge the gap between such agencies and move the profession of sanitation forward, said the Registrar, EHORECON, Sanitarian Dominic Abonyi, stating that environmental health practice had up to 17 facets of environmental health practice and out of these facets up to eight or nine were practiced in NESRA through its mandate.
The Registrar said, in a statement, that part of the job of the Council was to look at these service areas, be it in NESRA, NOSDRA and any other service agency to see if there was manpower and bridge it.

According to Abonyi, the National Universities Commission (NUC) had given approval to three Universities, namely; Bayero University, Kano, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka and University of Ife to mount environmental health programmes and produce professionals at this level.  The Registrar revealed that Council in its wisdom in 2009 decided that individual(s) who are already practicing as scientific officers and who may wish to become environmental health officers need to do one thing, which is, to realign and get all of them on the register.

Earlier in his speech, the Director General, National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESRA) Dr. Lawrence Anukam acknowledged the role being played by EHORECON, saying environment is everything around you, adding that you must understand a bit of the economy of the environment, you must understand the religion of the environment and you must understand the culture of that environment.

Anukam, while extoling the role being played by sanitary inspectors, went down memory lane, saying it was an abomination by every African culture for anyone to use chemicals to fish, even to burn bush, leathers, you need to plan it properly.
According to the NESRA boss, the whole concept had grown to sustainable development but the origin of that is Africa and back to African professionalism.

In the area of practice guide, the NESRA boss agreed that there was a little bit of disconnect between EHORCEON and NESRA and this could be worked out by creating a forum between the two agencies such as to make a thorough presentation and everybody will understand because we can leverage the manpower the Council creates, he said.
Dr. Anukam further, reiterated that he wants the relationship between EHORECON and NESRA to be more cordial, saying that “cordial is the major word but we look at where we are going to have a lot more synergy,” adding also that “we look at the area of commonality so that you can use your leverage as a big regulator in training.”

He, however, appreciated the Council for the visit, stating that he would make sure that NESRA was present at any activity to be organised by the Council, if invitation was extended to them.

By earthstructure
     

ABOUT POLIOMYELITIS (POLIO) YOU NEED KNOW

 Poliomyelitis, (popularly called Polio) is a paralytic, (crippling) and potentially deadly infectious disease that is caused by the POLIOVIRUS. The poliovirus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).

This disease is transmitted directly through saliva and respiratory secretions, or indirectly by contaminated water or food and fecal waste. 
It mainly affects the younger population that has not yet developed specific defense front against it.
Contact with poliovirus has been common (in 95% of cases) without causing any striking symptom.

Paralysis is the most severe indicator that is associated with polio and it could lead to permanent disability and even death. Though the poliovirus infection may have other shapes, but the most serious of which are those affecting the central nervous system at different levels and can even lead to death by respiratory failure. More common is the destruction of motor neurons, paralysis, muscular atrophy and deformity of the affected limbs: they are the most known sequelae of polio and therefore also became known as infantile paralysis

 These symptoms usually may last between 2 to 5 days then go away on their own.

However, a smaller proportion of people with the poliovirus infection will develop other more serious symptoms that affect the brain and spinal cord. Such symptoms may include:

i)   Paresthesia (feeling of pins and  needles in the legs) 
ii)  Meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain) occurs in about 1 out of 25 people with poliovirus infection
iii)  Paralysis (can’t move parts of the body) or 
weakness in the arms, legs, or both, occurs in about 1 out of 200 people with poliovirus infection.

POLIOVIRUS TRANSMISSION

Poliovirus is very contagious and spreads through person-to-person contact. The disease only infects humans. The poliovirus lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines. It enters the body through the mouth and spreads through contact with the feces (poop) of an infected person and, though less common, through droplets from a sneeze or cough. You can get infected with poliovirus if you have feces on your hands and you touch your mouth. 

Also, you can get infected if you put in your mouth objects like toys that are contaminated with feces (poop). Parents must be careful with the faecal excrement of their children, so they don't allow the transmission of polio to other innocent children within neighborhood or school.

An infected person may spread the virus to others immediately before and about 1 to 2 weeks after symptoms appear. The virus can live in an infected person’s feces for many weeks. It can contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions.

NOTE: People who don’t have symptoms can still pass the virus to others and make them sick. HOW TO PREVENTION POLIOMYELITIS

There are basically two main ways to effectively prevent polio. The best form of prevention of any desease is good hygiene and sanitation. Hence improved hygiene and environmental sanitation goes a long way to interrupt the pathway of transmission of most diseases and illnesses. We must obey and help  Environmental health officers to clean our environment and be hygiene conscious at all times.  The second is vaccine based. Two types of vaccine protects against polio: oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) (given as an injection in the leg or arm, depending on the patient’s age). Oral Polio vaccine (OPV) is usually dropped in the mouth  of children. Polio vaccine protects children by preparing their bodies to fight the polio virus. Almost all children (99 children out of 100) who get all the recommended doses of vaccine will be protected from polio. Though there are cases where the virus multiplied in humans after the childhood vaccination with the vaccines. Our next episode shall be directed to post polio syndrome and associated events.

There are actually two (2) main types of vaccine that can prevent polio: 
a.) Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and 
b.) Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). 
In Nigeria  it is the OPV that is in use while only IPV has been used in the United States since 2000; OPV is still used throughout much of the world. 

-EHSadvisor

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, A PROFESSION FACING IMMINENT EXTINCTION IN RIVERS STATE ?

 

".......Environmental Health must not die in Rivers State else disease control, HOUSE-TO-HOUSE inspection, and sanitation standards of the state would be even worse and laughable....."

Environmental Health Officers, all over the world, are at the forefront of preventive public health (preventive medicine), as every aspect of environmental health is designed to improve the health of the public and wellbeing. 
Environmental health is a profession charged with the responsibility to ensure all human environmental activities meet W.H.O standards by enforcing the extant  statutory  regulations.

Environmental Health professional have come a long way, metamorphosing into what we have now. It is the Sanitary inspector of those days The Environmental Health profession  remained unregulated in Nigeria over the years until 2002, when the then democratic government headed by president Olusegun Obasanjo, decided to grant its professional recognition through the enactment of the Environmental Health Officers' Registration Council, (EHORECON ) Act 11 of 2002. The Act established the Council charged with the responsibility of regulating Environmental Health profession in Nigeria

JOB EXPECTATION OF THE EHO (AS OBTAINED GLOBALLY).

In pursuance to the provisions of the Public Health Laws, the Environmental Health Officers' Practice regulations, and all relevant environmental laws as applicable, the Environmental Health  Officer is expected to carry out regulatory duties, though largely depending on where he is engaged to work, to perform regulatory activities in areas such as:

a.)  Food safety

b.)  Environmental protection

c.)  Noise, radiation and pollution control

d.)  Drinking water standards

e.)  Health and safety regulation at workplace

f.)  Animal welfare stray control

g.)  Waste management (including medical waste)

h.)  Ensuring Sanitary Housing standards

i.)   Public Health duties relating preventive medicine.

The Environmental Health Officer works for the local government authority, the NHIS, Armed Forces/Police, or the Federal and State governments.  They also,  by statutory provision,  work in organisations and Agencies like NAFDAC, NODSRA,  NESREA, Disease Control/prevention Agencies, NEITI etc... .

The Environmental Health Officer (EHO) also work as environmental health consultant in the private sector, advising businesses and individuals on extant Environmental Health Law compliance.  Some EHOs are specialised in one area, or another after graduation, while some still deal with all environmental health issues in the local government area, state / federal govt. or even in private companies.

The day-to-day duties of Environmental  Health  Officers may include:

1.)  Inspecting schools and business premises for health and safety,

2.) Food hygiene and food standards regulations,

3.) Following up complaints

4.)  Investigating outbreaks of food poisoning and infectious disease(s)

5.)  Pest control and management

6.)  Collecting samples for laboratory testing

7.)  Enforcing environmental health laws through service of abatement notice

8.)  Investigating public Health related accidents at workplace, residential premises and schools.

9.)  Advising community groups and giving educational talks

10.) prosecution of relevant law offenders and giving evidence as Principal witness (PW1) in court

11.) Writing records and reports to relevant authorities or employers on environmental  Health issues.

12.)  Advising employers and the general public on all environmental health matters.

Considering the above, it is then very worrisome why the Rivers State Government have consistently refused to employ fresh Environmental Health Officers to fill the vacancies created by the legitimate retirement of over 95% of Environmental Health Officers that maned that sector over the years. Its also very clear that the statutory responsibility of the Environmental Health officer is very crucial to societal hygiene condition and disease control.

Today, Rivers State cannot boast of up to two hundred (200) qualified Environmental health officers in the state civil service. That is adding both those EHOs in the Rivers State Ministry of Health and that of Ministry Of Environment. Isn't that worrisome?
No wonder why the state is getting filthier by the day. The Ministry of Environment alone cannot boast of anything more than seventy five (75) qualified Environmental Health officers still serving in there. Seventy-five (75) Environmental Health Officers to cover Port Harcourt alone is a huge joke.

Why won't Sanitation and hygiene standards drop significantly in the state? My worry is the barefaced indifference posture displayed by the Rivers State government over the years till date, to the lingering issues caused by the non employment of new EHOs. 
IS THIS A PLOY TO EXTINCT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION IN RIVERS STATE?
Who is writing that script that is already plunging the state into very poor sanitation/ hygiene standards?

Rivers State Government must as a matter of urgency, cause the employment of at least one thousand (1000) fresh Environmental Health Officers into the state Civil Service just as the Taraba state government did recently. Other States like Lagos and Calabar, have equally sustained the employment of Environmental health officers till date except the Rivers State, why??? 

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MUST NOT DIE IN RIVERS STATE ELSE DISEASE CONTROL, HOUSE-TO-HOUSE INSPECTION, AND SANITATION STANDARDS OF THE STATE WOULD BE LAUGHABLE.

It is very shocking that since the inception of Democracy in 1999, no new Environmental Health Officer have been employed by successive governments in Rivers state till this day. The current shortage of manpower in that profession in Rivers State, today is incredibly shocking. Why would a state government allow such decay for this long? Yet billions and trillions of Rivers money is being looted by the same politicians.

The immediate past administration of Rivers state actually promised to correct that anomaly but ended up employing only medical doctors, nurses, and other scientific officers, and surprisingly as it were, left out employment of Environmental Health Officers in Rivers State. THIS IS GROSS INJUSTICE AND DELIBERATE DISREGARD/ MAGINALIZATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION IN RIVERS STATE.
One would have no choice but to wonder why the labour unions; EHOAN , EHORECON been quiet over such plot to kill Environmental Health in Rivers state. 
I call on all well meaning persons in Rivers state to rise up and prevail on the Rivers State government immediately declare a state of emergency on Environmental Health in Rivers state and the time is now.

As if that's not enough, Even the waste management agency has been highjacked by politicians. Environmental health officers have been relegated to the background in such serious and professional matter as waste management. The RIWAMA LAW is being breached with impunity, daily by politicians not letting the Environmental Health Officers handle waste management professionally as enshrined in the RIWAMA LAW, 2014. The RIWAMA Law specified in clear terms that only INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT should be employed in managing waste in Rivers state. But there is gross violation of the law till date.

What is common in Rivers State till date is open dumping of refuse by the road sides of most major roads. This is against the RIWAMA LAW, 2014 and must be changed. POLITICIANS SHOULD ALLOW THE EMPLOYMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS  AND LET THEM PROFESSIONALLY DO THEIR LEGITIMATE DUTY AS IT CONCERNS WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RIVERS STATE
INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT MUST BE ENFORCEED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RIWAMA LAW.

Retired Police commissioner Oyakhilome, the then military administrator of Rivers State did establish the defunct Sanitation Authority in 1986 and directly engaged Environmental Health officers to manage Environmental Health activities in Port Harcourt city and its environs and by extension, Rivers state. Then port Harcourt was relatively cleaner with wastes properly and professionally handled/ supervised. I still remember the SULO company from Germany that was brought in with full equipments, compactor refuse trucks etc by the then military administration under police commissioner Fidelis Oyakhilome . That was the highest point so far. All successive governments only bastardized the legacy of Oyakhilome. Now is even worse. Even to employ Environmental Health Officers is seemingly toomuch for the politician-led Rivers state government.
This narrative must change.

"...politicians should allow the employment of Environmental Health officers and let them professionally do their legitimate duty as it concerns waste management in the Rivers state

integrated waste management must be enforced, in compliance with the RIWAMA law.."  -Chf. Env. Health officer (anonymous) 

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: SAVING LIVES; PROTECTING PEOPLE FROM HEALTH THREATS; SAVING MONEY THROUGH NUISANCE PREVENTION.

THE IMMENSE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & ENIVIRONMENTAL HEALTH LABORATORY IN NIGERIA

Your environment is everything around you—the air you breathe, the water you drink, the community you live in, the places where your food is grown or prepared, your workplace, and your home. When your environment is safe and healthy, you are more likely to stay healthy. But when your environment exposes you to dangerous events or toxic substances, your health can be negatively affected.

Environmental Health is truly committed to saving lives and protecting people from environmental hazards by responding to natural and man-made disasters.
Hence, to respond to the disturbing air pollution (black soot) in parts of Rivers State, we must all call on the Rivers state government to support and effect the establishment of an Environmental Health Laboratory in Rivers State.

Environmental Health helps maintain and improve the health of Nigerians by promoting a healthy environment and preventing premature death and avoidable illness caused by environmental and related factors. We also identify how people might be exposed to hazardous substances in the environment and assess exposures to determine if they are hazardous to human health. Environmental Health truly believes in prevention to improve health and save money by reducing health care costs.

A well equipped Environmental Health Laboratory shall provide unique laboratory science that shall improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases resulting from exposure to Environmental chemicals, particulates and selected other diseases that require advanced laboratory measurement for accurate results.

The mission of providing a standard Environmental Health Laboratory in Rivers State is to:

a.)  Provide consultative and analytical services to employers and employers of labour through support to industrial hygiene and occupational hygiene in the state. 
The said laboratory should be vast in chemical hazard identification, monitoring, and analysis.

C.)   The Laboratory shall support training of industrial hygiene and occupational health and Safety professionals in chemical hazard assessment.

D.)   Also, Research and develop of new analytical and sampling methodologies for workplace chemical hazards shall be made easier while saving cost of foreign environmental health lab services incurred by our scholars and professionals daily.

Environmental Health Laboratory is very needful to boost and support Biomonitoring capacity of Environmental Health in Rivers State and Nigeria at large. A standard Environmental Health Laboratory shall help public health to

1.)  Detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases through accurate and up-to-date testing methods that are not available in any other lab in the country and sub-Saharan Africa.

2.)  Emergency laboratory response to deaths or illness from unknown causes, emergency chemical exposures, chemical and radiologic threat agents, toxins, anthrax, Ebola, Lassa fever etc.

3.)  High quality biomonitoring exposure measurements in more than 50 studies per year of the populations exposed to environmental chemicals to better determine safe and unsafe human exposure levels. This exposure information helps identify unsafe chemical exposures, protect health, avoid unnecessary regulation and reduce health care costs.

4.)   It shall offer the most comprehensive assessment of the nutritional status of the Nigerian population by measuring more than 50 nutritional indicators.
Also enhance standardization of tests for cholesterol, related lipids, testosterone, estradiol, and selected other chronic diseases to ensure accurate, reliable, and precise lab testing for correct patient diagnosis and care.

5.) Provide quality assurance for tests that are essential for early disease detection, such as newborn screening for treatable diseases that cause malformation, mental retardation, and death.

OTHER BENEFITS OF ENVIRONMENTAL  HEALTH LABORATORY: 

Modern world class Environmental Health Laboratory activities have resulted in substantial public health benefits:

Biomonitoring methods to measure more than 350 chemicals in blood and urine. Carry out more studies to improve the understanding of safe and unsafe levels of environmental chemicals and identify population groups at high risk for adverse health effects.

A testing method that detects anthrax 24 hours before symptoms start.

A first-time method to measure trans fats, that was successfully used to document at least 58% decline in trans fats in adults.

A new, faster, more accurate and precise method to quantify influenza vaccine dose.Standardization of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides testing in Nigerian laboratories that saves billions of Naira annually by just improving diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

Accurate testing for congenital diseases in more than 98% of newborns in the Nigeria and offer correct identification of treatable diseases in adults and babies yearly that dies or been severely disabled.

All state-funded screening programs and improved diagnostic tests and identification of all deadly diseases that are treatable if detected early.

Unique laboratory methods to test for outbreaks that are used to verify vaccine effectiveness, have identified affected persons in multiple outbreaks, provide exposure information in studies of clinical outcomes, and identified a previously unknown subtypes etc.

Enhance the best practice of professionalism in Environmental health services that is unique and available round the clock (24/7) chemical threat (laboratory) response capability that would help immensely to identify human exposure to over 150 chemical threat agents in record time, say within 36 hours using the Rapid Toxic Screen . 

A standard and well equipped Environmental  Health  Laboratory shall also carry out Urine Radionuclide Screen that can determineif persons have ingested or inhaled any of 10 priority radionuclides from poisoned food or water, including emissions of radioactive materials, and also determine who should be treated and with what medical countermeasures.

Using the Urine Radionuclide Screen, measurement of radiation exposures in most Nigerian working environments that allows radiation release (even if the release is found to be in very low levels that may posed no immediate health threat) shall be well recorded, monitored and scientifically evaluated to ensure proper use of the results in health/ environment policy formulation, regulation and also enhance environmental studies/academic research projects.

- EHSadvisor

FG WARNS OF BEEF, DAIRY PRODUCTS, SCARCITY

The federal government has raised the alarm on the rising demand for beef in the country, vis-a-vis its availability, saying the gap could lead to the scarcity of beef and dairy products in the country. The outlook was given by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at a meeting with members of the Governing Councils of the three Federal Universities of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Makurdi and Umudike.

Ogbeh said the country was consuming more cows per day than it was actually breeding, warning that if the disparity was not controlled, it would not be long before the country runs out of beef supply.

Lagos State, according to him, has the largest consumption share of 6,000 cows per day. He added that the daily demand for cow meat was equally high in the FCT and five other states including, Rivers, Abia, Imo, Oyo, and Kano. “We are consuming more cows than we are calving. Lagos State alone consumes 6,000 cows per day. Add the figure from Rivers, Abia, Imo, Oyo, Kano States and FCT, it might not be long before we run out of beef,” Ogbeh said. He described the local cattle breed as about the least in the world, adding on the average Nigerian cows produce less than a litre of milk per day.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, Nigeria needs about 1.5 billion litres of milk annually. Audu Ogbeh said due to the extant gap, government was spending billions to import powdered and reconstituted milk of low quality without any effect as 37 per cent of Nigerian children are malnourished.

He appealed to the university community to rise up to the challenges by teaching people artificial insemination, saying their prompt response is key towards resolving the crises.

The minister explained that Nigeria cattle produce low dairy yields daily arising from undernourishment and the grazing system for pasture.

“In East Africa, they achieve between 15  to 20 litres. In Europe, they achieve 50 litres or more. The secrets are breeds and nutrition. 
Sadly, here in Nigeria, the roaming cows look lean, with poor meat quality. Cows are not meant to march around. They are not horses,’’ he said.

The minister also enjoined the agriculture universities to be more innovative and enterprising by making it mandatory for every undergraduate to own a farm from 200 level to graduation while examinations should dwell 60 per cent on the success on the farm and 40 per cent on academic work.

STARLING BANK TODAY SPONSORED MASSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION EXERCISE IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE.

Starling Bank sponsored Environmental Sanitation Exercise today in Rivers State, involving all of its branches in Rivers State.

In attendance was the ministry of Environment's Permanent Secretary, Director Environment Health and Safety Dept and Environmental Health Officers in the department. Others includes the state director, National Orientation Agency, Oliver Woligbom, amongst others.

The Exercise started 7am today, Saturday along Aba Road, by Shell RA to 2nd Artillery Junction in Port Harcourt.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT (ERA)

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) aims at assessing the effects of stressors, often chemicals, on the local environment. A risk is an integrated assessment of likelihood and severity of an undesired event. In ERA, the undesired event often depends on the chemical of interest and on the risk assessment scenario. This undesired event is usually a detrimental effect on organisms, populations or ecosystems. 

An environmental risk assessment uses similar techniques to the health and safety risk assessment your business already has to perform. In this case, you'll be assessing the likelihood of your business causing harm to the environment. 

Current ERAs usually compare an exposure to a no-effect level, such as the Predicted Environmental Concentration / Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PEC/PNEC) ratio. Although this type of ratio is useful and often used in regulation purposes, it is only an indication of an exceeded apparent threshold. New approaches start to be developed in ERA in order to quantifiy this risk and to communicate effectively on it with both the managers and the general public.

HOW TO CARRY OUT AN ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT

There are basically five key steps to carrying out an environmental risk assessment which includes:

1.) Identify all possible risks and hazards - ie possible sources of harm

2.) Be clear about the kind of harm they might cause

3.) Evaluate the risk of harm - ie the likelihood that a given hazard will actually cause harm - and identify precautions

4.) Record the results of the assessment and implement precautions

5.) Review the assessment at regular intervals

IDENTIFY HAZARDS:

When looking for hazards in your business, you should consider:

1.)  Waste storage and disposal - eg making sure that proper refuse bins are used, and are located away from drains and watercourses

2.)  Ensure that emissions of dust and other substances or air particulates to the air arising from your business is properly taken care of. 

3.)  Storage, use and disposal of hazardous substances are in line with extant laws/regulations.

4.)  Ensure that any liquid waste from your facility does not leak/ or not washed off into drain. All liquid wastes must be properly contained and the container placed on an elevated platforms with bond walls perimeter around it. DO NOT DISCHARGE INTO DRAINS OR ANYWHERE WITHOUT TRETMENT. 

5.) Carry out environmental risk assessment of your raw materials - such as potentially toxic metals or other materials before using. 

6.) Be very mindful of environmental impact of packaging.

NOTE: There are statutory minimum standards to maintain in some of these areas.

NEED FOR COMPETENT EGG LAWS/ REGULATION AND MONITORING IN NIGERIA: A LESSON FROM THE EU EGG CONTAMINATION SCANDAL!

There is a greater need for proper egg regulation and tight boarder security in Nigeria following the Egg contamination scandal rocking the EU.

The latest public Health crisis hinges on a poison called fipronil that has contaminated eggs across several EU countries, thanks to an illegal mite-killing detergent for chickens made by a company in Flanders called Poultry Vision.
It has been reported that Eggs contaminated with the said toxic insecticide which contain a WHO banned chemical substance called FIPRONIL, may have found its way into shops and markets, in the UK and other EU nations.
Fipronil is said to be very harmful to humans as it can damage organs ranging from the liver to the thyroid gland, and it’s especially harmful to children.Investigations revealed that British food safety authorities were alerted over the last weekend that eggs imported from Germany could be dangerous. This was revealed by the European Commission in Brussels on Monday. Officials in France, Sweden, Switzerland and all the EU countries have also been officially informed of the serious risk of such contaminated to consumers health and well-being.

In a statement released after the commission’s comments, the FSA acknowledged that eggs from affected farms on the continent had reached the UK.
“Following concerns raised in the Netherlands about a substance called fipronil which has been used inappropriately in cleaning products on chicken farms, we have identified that a very small number of eggs have been distributed to the UK from the farms affected,” the FSA said.

The FSA was informed through an alert by German authorities on Saturday, precisely, Itkonen said. She said the information was shared as a precautionary measure.
Reacting to that vital public Heath information, a spokesman for the British Food Standards Agency told press that  British food safety inspectors tried to trace 21,000 eggs imported from affected farms in the Netherlands between March and June, this year.

According to the World Health Organization, the toxic substance , FIPRONIL, can damage the liver, thyroid glands and kidneys if ingested in large amounts over time.

It was further gathered that the director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University in Belfast, Prof Chris Elliott, praised the FSA's quick response to the crisis, but warned it could be difficult to track down the eggs.

He expected that most of the contaminated eggs would have gone into the processed food industry. “It will go into bakery, where they are buying a lot of powdered egg,” he said. “If they are sold as shelled eggs they are most likely just going into a sandwich factory somewhere”.

However, Millions of eggs have been recalled from shops and and warehouses in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in recent weeks after some were found to contain high levels of the insecticide fipronil.
Fipronil is a common ingredient in veterinary products for getting rid of fleas, lice and ticks. It is banned from being used to treat animals destined for human consumption.

According to reports, the egg pollution scare has prompted fresh investigations into chicken meat. Food authority in the Netherlands, NVWA is investigating whether the chemical fipronil can also be found in other products after it learned that the cleaning company using the prohibited insecticide also worked for a number of meat companies in the Netherlands. However, the poultry industry claims there are no traces of fipronil to be found in meat in the Netherlands.
Across the EU, hundreds of farms have closed and sales of tens of millions of eggs have been halted.

Germany, which fears it has imported millions of contaminated eggs, is the most vocal critic. Regional officials angrily accused the Belgians of not picking up the phone and of not being “up to the job”. The agriculture ministry in Berlin said Christian Schmidt, Germany’s farm minister, called his Belgian counterpart Monday to demand “a fast and complete clarification of the ongoing situation.”

To this end, the Belgian Agriculture Minister Denis Ducarme and Health Minister Maggie De Block will try to explain Belgium’s handling of the crisis to parliamentarians Wednesday. Ducarme has called for a detailed report from Belgium's Federal Agency for the Safety of Food Chain (AFSCA) and prioritized consumer safety.

Surprisingly, the AFSCA  earlier admitted that it was informed in early June that traces of fipronil had made it into the food chain in Belgium, via eggs. But the agency failed to notify its partners in Europe of the development for nearly two months, and now its a full blown public Health emergency and scandal. The European Commission said last Monday that seven countries may be affected as of now. But fears have it that it could spread further if not properly managed.

If the public Health Authorities in Nigeria are not proactive, we may have to deal with Fipronil contamination consequences as a result of our large dependence on imported eggs and egg products, especially foreign dried eggs used largely in Nigeria for baking and other confectionery purposes.

GERMAN SUPERMARKET GIANT, ALDI, WITHDRAWS ALL EGGS FROM GERMAN STORES OVER FIPRONIL POISON SCARE

The German supermarket giant, Aldi, reportedly  withdrew all eggs from sale from its stores in Germany as they may have been contaminated by insecticide, FIPRONIL.

Laboratory Tests showed that the chemical fipronil, which can harm people's kidneys, liver and thyroid glands, was found in eggs from the Netherlands.
Fipronil is used to treat lice and ticks in chickens.

According to a German official, up to 10 million of the contaminated eggs may have been sold in Germany.
Also, the agriculture minister for Lower Saxony, Christian Meyer, told German television that there was a serious risk to children if they ate two of the eggs a day.

About 180 poultry farms in the Netherlands have been temporarily shut down in recent days while investigations are held.

Marieke van der Molen, of the Dutch public prosecutor's office, said a criminal investigation was under way to find the source of the contamination.

Meanwhile, European supermarkets have also moved to halt the distribution of eggs from the affected batches. Aldi - which has close to 4,000 stores in Germany - is the first retailer to stop selling all eggs as a precaution. "This is merely a precaution, there is no reason to assume there are any health risks," Aldi said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Aldi UK revealed that its eggs were all British and were not affected by the contamination.

Reuters reports that investigators believe the chemical may have originated in contaminated detergent used to clean barns.

Poultry World reported that fipronil may have been deliberately added to an existing insecticide to improve its effectiveness.

The Netherlands is Europe's largest exporter of eggs and egg products, and one of the biggest in the world. It exports an estimated 65% of the 10 billion eggs it produces every year.

-BBC news report

AN OPEN LETTER OF APPEAL TO THE GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE:

We congratulate you, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Chf. Barr. Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike (Mr. Projects) for all the developmental project still ongoing in the state, especially the Judges residence, Buses for Div. 6 Army, etc. Its laudable.
However, we want to draw your attention to the near extinction of ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICE in Rivers State, especially. The fact that new recruitments have not been made for more than too long. All those Environmental Health  professionals currently in Rivers State government have all grown to very most senior levels without younger Environmental Health professionals to learn from the seniors and eventually take over from them. More of the very experienced Environmental Health Professionals would be retiring in about two or three months yet non to learn from them and take over to ensure efficient Environmental Health and sanitation services..
To this end, permit us to chronicle some basic /immediate items you need urgently attend to so as to enhance the fast dwindling environmental sanitation situation and also better the lots of
Environmental Health Officers in Rivers State:

1.) Urgent employment of at least 1000 new Environmental Health Officers to manage Environmental Health and Sanitation matters that is currently nose-diving in Rivers State.

2.) Provision of a well equipped Rivers State Environmental Health Laboratory within Port Harcourt or its near Environs for quick administration of Environmental Health Services in Rivers State.
This should be accompanied also by a well equipped mobile Environmental Health laboratory (on wheels) to help  disease surveillance, prevention/control.

3.) Provision of a Standard, well equipped Environmental Health Library and study center to boost learning and research in Environmental Health.

4.) Provision of noise and air quality monitoring equipments and devices to help control and manage the crazy noise and air pollution issues in Rivers State. Also needful are all relevant Environmental Health Management equipment being used in other parts of the world including a complete multimedia presentation devices eg still pictures/video cameras, projectors and screens etc

5.) Sponsor Environmental Health Officers to training and development within and outside nigeria  so as to be abreast with modern realities of Environmental Health in other parts of the scientifically  advanced world.

6.) Appoint retired/serving Environmental Health officers into Environmental / projects monitoring/ Management committees of the state government.

7.) Effect appointment of Environmental Health professionals (not politicians) as commissioner of Environment, water resources etc  and also in the boards of RIWAMA, water board, water regulatory commission and RSEPA  amongst others. This would yield better results and tend to professionalize the afore mentioned services.

8.) Provision of buses, pick up trucks and other official vehicles for effective monitoring,  Enlightenment and quick dispensation of Environmental Health services in Rivers state.

9.) Provision of complete sets Uniforms for serving Environmental Health Officers.

10.) Create/establish a department of Environmental Health in Rivers State University and University Of Port Harcourt to run and award graduate and post graduate degrees in Environmental Health an related fields.
Also, its very imperative that some Environmental Health Officers of Rivers Origin should be sponsored abroad to study post graduate courses in in Environmental Health; Epidemiology and Environmental Toxicology up to PHD level so we could soon raise relevant professors to man the courses in our state university and Uniport inclusive

Finally, sir, I assure you that if you meet the afore needs of Environmental Health in Rivers state, your name would be engraved in gold as the only Governor that was able to surpassed oyakhilome's unbeaten record in Environmental Health and Sanitation in Rivers State.
Thank you sir.
- EHSadvisor.