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Cited by 105Occupational Health and PerformanceOccupational Health and Safety in WorkplacesPolicing Practices and Perceptions

A systematic review on occupational hazards, injuries and diseases among police officers worldwide: policy implications for the South African police service

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Mona, Gift Gugu, Chimbari, Moses John, Hongoro, Charles·2019·Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
DOI 10.1186/s12995-018-0221-xPMC PMC6341669
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Occupational hazards, injuries and diseases are a major concern among police officers, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is limited locally relevant literature for guiding policy for the South African Police Service (SAPS). The purpose of this review was to describe the occupational hazards, injuries and diseases affecting police officers worldwide, in order to benchmark policy implications for the SAPS. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of studies using Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus. RESULTS: A total of 36 studies were included in this review. Six revealed that police officers' exposure to accident hazards may lead to acute or chronic injuries such as sprains, fractures or even fatalities. These hazards may occur during driving, patrol or riot control. There were two studies, which confirmed physical hazards such as noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), due to exposure to high levels of noise. Three studies on chemical hazards revealed that exposure to high concentrations of carbon dioxide and general air pollution was associated with cancer, while physical exposure to other chemical substances was linked to dermatitis. Four studies on biological hazards demonstrated potential exposure to blood borne diseases from needle stick injuries (NSIs) or cuts from contaminated objects. One study on ergonomic hazards showed that musculoskeletal disorders can result from driving long distances and lifting heavy objects. There were 15 studies that indicated psychological hazards such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as stress. Moreover, four studies were conducted on organizational hazards including burnout, negative workplace exposure and other factors. CONCLUSIONS: This review outlined the global impact of occupational hazards, injuries and diseases in the police force. It served as a benchmark for understanding the policy implications for South Africa, where there is paucity of studies on occupational health and safety.

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  • Operational stressors such as emotional trauma due to exposure to violent situations may show stronger associations with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other adverse psychological outcomes, compared to burnout.

    “It could also be that operational stressors such as emotional trauma due to exposure to violent situations show stronger associations with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Mona et al., 2019) or other adverse psycholog­ ical outcomes, compared to burnout.”

    From Psychosocial risk and protective factors associated with burnout in police officers: A systematic review (2023) · cites this paper as Mona et al., 2019

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Mona, G. G., Chimbari, M. J., & Hongoro, C.
Affiliations
  • University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
  • Human Sciences Research Council (ZA)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-01-21
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
2-2
ISSN
1745-6673 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12995-018-0221-x
PMC
PMC6341669
OpenAlex
W2916616950
Cited by
105
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 3
FWCI
2.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Inyuvesi Yakwazulu-Natali
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
Keywords
police officers, occupational hazards, occupational injuries, occupational diseases, South African Police Service, occupational health policy, noise-induced hearing loss, needlestick injuries, bloodborne infections, musculoskeletal disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, chemical exposure, biological hazards, occupational safety

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