Management of Occupational Disease Reporting and Surveillance in Kano State Industries

Occupational disease reporting and surveillance are fundamental public health functions that remain critically underdeveloped in Nigerian industrial settings, limiting the nation's ability to quantify and address occupational morbidity. This study examined the management of occupational disease reporting and surveillance practices in selected industries in Kano State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive evaluative design was applied, with 35 occupational health officers and factory managers from industries across Kano Municipal, Fagge, and Bompai industrial areas participating. Primary data were collected via structured interview-guided questionnaires, and official occupational disease registers were reviewed where available. Results revealed that only 22.9 percent of sampled industries maintained an occupational disease register compliant with the Factories Act, and formal reporting to state labor authorities had been undertaken by only 11.4 percent in the previous year. Capacity to distinguish between occupational and general diseases was inadequate among 74.3 percent of respondents. Common barriers to reporting included fear of regulatory sanctions, lack of occupational disease diagnostic capacity, and insufficient knowledge of reporting obligations. Industries with ISO-certified health systems demonstrated significantly better surveillance practices. The study recommends mandatory occupational disease reporting training for all factory health officers, development of a digitized national occupational disease registry, and capacity building at the Kano State Ministry of Labour for effective surveillance oversight. Keywords: occupational disease reporting, surveillance systems, factory health, occupational morbidity, Kano State.