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TABLE 3. Responses of participants to questions on meat inspection and zoonosis from
five slaughterhouses in Ilorin, Nigeria
Meat inspection and zoonoses

Yes n (%)

No n (%)

Are there veterinarians attached to this slaughterhouse?
Are the animals rested for at least 24 hours before slaughter in the slaughterhouse?
Are sick animals slaughtered in the slaughterhouse?
Are dead animals processed?
Have you ever had your animal (whole/part) condemned by a meat inspector?
Were you compensated for the condemned carcass?
Do you know that slaughterhouse workers can get diseases from animals?
Do you know that slaughterhouse workers can get diseases from the slaughterhouse environment?
Do you know that workers and consumers can get disease from meat?

176 (98.9)
66 (37.1)
93 (52.2)
1 (0.6)
24 (13.5)
56 (31.5)
129 (72.5)
151 (84.8)
135 (75.8)

2 (1.2)
112 (62.9)
85 (47.8)
177 (99.4)
154 (86.5)
122 (68.5)
49 (27.5)
27 (15.2)
43 (24.2)

PPE. We also found that the majority of respondents had
unsatisfactory knowledge levels significantly associated
with gender. Gender and PPE usage were significant factors
in knowledge of food safety risk in the slaughterhouse,
which in turn was related to workers' injuries. This is the
earliest report in Nigeria, to our knowledge, that presents
an assessment of food safety knowledge of slaughterhouse
workers and the risk of occupational injuries and accidents
among these workers.
The occurrence of work-associated injuries depends on
factors such as the frequency of the work performed, the
effort required for the work, and the duration of the operation (20). In this study, surveyed slaughterhouse workers
usually work for 5.7 ± 2.2 days per week. This predisposes
these workers to work-associated injuries. The high frequency of slaughterhouse workers reporting work injuries
in the course of their work is comparable to reports of other
studies (36). Most slaughterhouse operations are physically
demanding, which raises the possibility of injury (29).
Respondents have reported injuries affecting their feet,
lower back, knee, and face. By comparison, workers in poultry slaughterhouses have reported more bodily discomfort
in the shoulders and neck (32, 36, 37). A Dutch national
survey of general practice showed that the neck and shoulder are usually affected (6). The Nigerian meat processing
industry is usually described as a "hot-meat market." This is
because, in most Nigerian slaughterhouses, meat processing
is poorly organized, leading to an increased incidence of
bruises, cuts, lacerations, and infections among slaughterhouse workers (8). Slaughtered animals are processed
on the floor in all surveyed slaughterhouses, which could
be the reason that the feet were so commonly injured, as
reported in this study. Floor processing positions also force
workers into awkward postures and movements. The high
processing frequency during slaughter operations has been
identified as a major reason for cuts and lacerations (26),
with increased tendencies in large processing plants (9).

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Food Protection Trends July/August

The majority of slaughterhouse workers reported hand
equipment such as knives as the source of injury experienced during work. In a previous study, using a knife during
slaughter operations predisposes the body to distress and
injuries (36). The finding that some reported injuries were
caused by animals is expected, as most settings observed at
Ilorin slaughterhouses are disorganized, leading to disorderly animal handling. Some surveyed respondents visit
the hospital after work injuries occur; those who resort to
first aid and self-medication only should be discouraged.
Workers processing meat with exposed wounds on their
hands may be more susceptible to zoonotic infections from
animals (5, 8). These wounds, when infected, could be
sources of pathogen spread and food safety risk.
In line with international best practices, slaughterhouse
workers should undergo training on occupational health
hazards and safety at work. Almost none of the workers
reported being exposed to occupational training. Fasanmi et
al. (14) emphasized that slaughterhouse workers in Nigeria
should undergo training in operational hygiene and occupational zoonoses. Professional training for meat handlers is
mandatory in most developed countries (11, 19).
The lack of sanitation facilities observed in our study is
similar to reports elsewhere. About 30% of respondents
do not have access to toilets within the slaughterhouses;
over 50% have access to a piped water supply and a place
for handwashing, but < 25% reported the availability of
hot water facilities in the slaughterhouse. Comparably,
60%, 60%, and 20% of slaughterhouse workers in a survey
of Kenyan abattoirs have access to water from boreholes,
latrines and handwashing facilities, respectively (5). In
some slaughterhouses in Ibadan, Nigeria, 71.7% of slaughterhouse workers have access to a facility for washing hands
(14). The availability of handwashing facilities, including
hot and cold water sources, is a requirement of international
specifications for cleaning operations and prevention of
meat contamination and pathogen spread (7, 10, 16, 18).

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2020

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