Health Sciences

Master of Science in Occupational Safety in Health

The Master of Science in Occupational Safety in Health is a postgraduate programme that trains graduates in occupational safety within healthcare settings, infection control, healthcare worker protection, and health facility safety management. The programme prepares graduates for advanced careers in healthcare safety, infection prevention, occupational health in hospitals, and health facility risk management.

Core areas include occupational safety in healthcare, infection prevention and control, healthcare worker safety, hospital safety management, biomedical waste management, radiation safety in healthcare, occupational health in clinical settings, healthcare hazard management, patient safety culture, and research methods. Students engage with theoretical foundations and practical healthcare safety applications.

The programme is offered by Zetech University, Great Lakes University of Kisumu, and University of Kabianga, with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology as a college. JKUAT offers related MSc Occupational Safety and Health at KES 413,000 through its Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology. The programme focuses on safety within health facilities and healthcare settings.

Students develop competencies in healthcare safety management, infection control, hazard identification in clinical settings, biomedical waste management, radiation safety, and research. The programme includes coursework, hospital placements, examinations, supervised research, and thesis.

The programme is delivered over two years. JKUAT MSc Occupational Safety and Health total fees are KES 413,000 (~KES 206,500/year). Entry requires Bachelor's degree in health sciences, nursing, medicine, public health, or related fields with Upper Second or Lower with experience.

Graduates pursue careers as healthcare safety officers, infection control officers, hospital safety managers, occupational health nurses, and lecturers in hospitals, health facilities, government, and consulting.

Skills Required

Occupational Safety in Healthcare Settings
Infection Prevention and Control
Healthcare Worker Safety and Protection
Hospital Safety Management Systems
Biomedical Waste Management
Radiation Safety in Healthcare
Healthcare Hazard Identification and Risk Management
Patient Safety and Safety Culture
Occupational Health in Clinical Settings
Healthcare Safety Research Methods

Key Subjects

Occupational Safety in Healthcare
Infection Prevention and Control
Hospital Safety Management
Biomedical Waste Management
Radiation Safety in Healthcare
Healthcare Worker Protection
Healthcare Hazard Management
Patient Safety Culture
Occupational Health in Clinical Settings
Healthcare Safety Research Methods

Certifications

DOSHS Healthcare Safety Certification
CDC Infection Control Certification

Specializations

Infection Prevention and Control

Focuses on infection prevention, healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, sterilisation, disinfection, and preventing infections in healthcare settings.

Hospital Safety Management

Examines hospital safety management, safety systems in hospitals, safety policies, safety audits, emergency preparedness, and managing safety in healthcare facilities.

Biomedical Waste Management

Covers biomedical waste, healthcare waste segregation, sharps management, waste treatment, waste disposal, infection risks, and managing biomedical waste in healthcare facilities.

Radiation Safety in Healthcare

Focuses on radiation safety in healthcare, radiology safety, radiotherapy safety, radiation protection, dosimetry, and ensuring radiation safety in medical settings.

Healthcare Worker Protection

Examines healthcare worker protection, occupational hazards for healthcare workers, needlestick injuries, workplace violence, stress, burnout, and protecting healthcare workers.

Patient Safety Culture

Covers patient safety culture, safety climate, incident reporting, adverse events, near misses, safety improvement, and building safety culture in healthcare organisations.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 120,000
Private, up to: Ksh 212,750
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Occupational Safety in Healthcare
Infection Prevention and Control
Hospital Safety Management
Biomedical Waste Management
Radiation Safety in Healthcare
Healthcare Worker Protection
Healthcare Hazard Management
Patient Safety Culture
Occupational Health in Clinical Settings
Healthcare Safety Research Methods

Modules

12 in the programme

Occupational Safety in Healthcare Settings
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines occupational safety in healthcare, healthcare hazards, healthcare worker risks, safety culture, safety systems, and ensuring safety in healthcare settings.
Infection Prevention and Control
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, PPE, sterilisation, disinfection, environmental cleaning, and preventing infections in healthcare.
Hospital Safety Management Systems
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines safety systems in hospitals, safety policies, safety committees, safety audits, emergency preparedness, fire safety, and managing safety in healthcare facilities.
Biomedical Waste Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers healthcare waste segregation, sharps management, infectious waste, pharmaceutical waste, waste treatment, waste disposal, infection risks, and managing biomedical waste safely.
Radiation Safety in Healthcare
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines radiology safety, radiotherapy safety, radiation protection, dosimetry, shielding, ALARA, and ensuring radiation safety in medical settings.
Healthcare Worker Protection and Occupational Health
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers needlestick injuries, bloodborne pathogens, workplace violence, occupational stress, burnout, latex allergy, chemical exposure, immunisation, post-exposure prophylaxis, and protecting healthcare workers.
Patient Safety and Safety Culture
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines adverse events, near misses, incident reporting, root cause analysis, safety culture, medication safety, surgical safety, and improving patient safety in healthcare.
Healthcare Hazard Identification and Risk Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers hazard identification in healthcare, risk assessment, chemical hazards, biological hazards, physical hazards, ergonomic hazards, and managing risks in healthcare facilities.
Occupational Health in Clinical Settings
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines occupational health services for healthcare workers, health surveillance, medical examinations, counselling, mental health support, and supporting healthcare worker health.
Healthcare Safety Research Methods
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research methods for healthcare safety, infection control research, epidemiology, outbreak investigation, data analysis, and conducting healthcare safety research, preparing students for their thesis.
Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management in Healthcare
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines emergency preparedness, disaster management, fire safety, evacuation, mass casualty, pandemic preparedness, and preparing for and managing emergencies in healthcare facilities.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on an occupational safety in health topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and healthcare safety knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Infection Prevention and Control
Focuses on infection prevention, healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, sterilisation, disinfection, and preventing infections in healthcare settings.
Hospital Safety Management
Examines hospital safety management, safety systems in hospitals, safety policies, safety audits, emergency preparedness, and managing safety in healthcare facilities.
Biomedical Waste Management
Covers biomedical waste, healthcare waste segregation, sharps management, waste treatment, waste disposal, infection risks, and managing biomedical waste in healthcare facilities.
Radiation Safety in Healthcare
Focuses on radiation safety in healthcare, radiology safety, radiotherapy safety, radiation protection, dosimetry, and ensuring radiation safety in medical settings.
Healthcare Worker Protection
Examines healthcare worker protection, occupational hazards for healthcare workers, needlestick injuries, workplace violence, stress, burnout, and protecting healthcare workers.
Patient Safety Culture
Covers patient safety culture, safety climate, incident reporting, adverse events, near misses, safety improvement, and building safety culture in healthcare organisations.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc Occupational Safety in Health programme begins with morning lectures on healthcare safety, infection control, or hospital safety management. Students engage in theoretical discussions on healthcare hazards, safety systems, and worker protection. Healthcare safety sessions cover occupational safety in healthcare, healthcare hazards, healthcare worker risks, safety culture, and ensuring safety in healthcare settings. Infection prevention sessions examine healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, PPE, sterilisation, disinfection, environmental cleaning, and preventing infections in healthcare. Hospital safety management sessions cover safety systems in hospitals, safety policies, safety committees, safety audits, emergency preparedness, fire safety, and managing safety in healthcare facilities. Biomedical waste sessions examine healthcare waste segregation, sharps management, infectious waste, pharmaceutical waste, waste treatment, waste disposal, and managing biomedical waste safely. Radiation safety sessions cover radiology safety, radiotherapy safety, radiation protection, dosimetry, shielding, and ensuring radiation safety in medical settings. Healthcare worker protection sessions examine needlestick injuries, bloodborne pathogens, workplace violence, occupational stress, burnout, latex allergy, chemical exposure, and protecting healthcare workers. Patient safety sessions cover adverse events, near misses, incident reporting, root cause analysis, safety culture, medication safety, surgical safety, and improving patient safety. Occupational health sessions examine occupational health services for healthcare workers, health surveillance, immunisation, post-exposure prophylaxis, counselling, and supporting healthcare worker health. Hospital placements provide hands-on experience with safety audits, infection control assessments, waste management inspections, and safety system evaluations in healthcare facilities. Research methodology sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering healthcare safety research methods, epidemiology, and data analysis. Guest lectures from JKUAT faculty, DOSHS officials, MoH IPC officers, KEMRI researchers, hospital safety managers, and international healthcare safety experts provide real-world insights. The two-year programme culminates in a research thesis.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's healthcare sector, infection control needs, hospital safety requirements, COVID-19 lessons, and DOSHS compliance create high demand for qualified healthcare safety professionals.
JKUAT offers related MSc Occupational Safety and Health at KES 413,000 through its Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology, providing established training.
Career opportunities with hospitals, health facilities, MoH, KEMRI, DOSHS, consulting firms, and international organisations like WHO, CDC, and ICN.
Programme addresses critical healthcare safety challenges including HAIs, biomedical waste, radiation safety, and healthcare worker protection.

Against it

Programme requires health sciences, nursing, public health, or related background, which may exclude some graduates.
Hospital placements require access to healthcare facilities and safety departments, which may be limited in some regions.
Zetech fees at KES 120,000 per semester (~KES 240,000/year) are relatively expensive compared to public universities.
Programme is closely related to MSc Occupational Health and Safety, which may cause confusion about the specific healthcare focus.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public100k to 120k

100k at University of Kabianga120k at Technical University of Kenya

Private120k to 213k

120k at Great Lakes University of Kisumu213k at Zetech University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

GLUK 120K/yr verified (GLUK fee page). TUK, Kabianga, Zetech unverified for this course.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. WHO supports patient safety and healthcare quality. KEMRI supports medical research including infection control. CDC supports infection prevention capacity building. The programme's healthcare safety focus attracts health sector and international funding.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
WHO Patient Safety Funding
KEMRI Research Funding

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate occupational safety in health studies at recognised universities.
WHO Patient Safety Funding
GrantKsh 300,000
WHO supports patient safety and healthcare quality globally, providing funding for postgraduate training and research in healthcare safety.
KEMRI Research Funding
GrantKsh 300,000Kenyan
KEMRI supports medical research including infection control and healthcare safety, providing funding for postgraduate research in healthcare safety.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: The programme accepts graduates from health sciences, nursing, medicine, public health, environmental health, medical laboratory sciences, pharmacy, dentistry, radiography, biomedical sciences, and related fields. JKUAT requires relevant degree with at least Second Class Honours Upper Division. Two-year programme with full-time and part-time modes.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, infection control projects, safety audit reports, case studies, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination30% of the mark
Written examinations covering healthcare safety, infection control, biomedical waste, and hospital safety management, conducted at end of each semester.
Hospital Placement Assessment
Practical40% of the mark
Assessment of hospital placements, safety audits, infection control assessments, waste management inspections, and practical reports.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on an occupational safety in health topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and healthcare safety knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). JKUAT offers related MSc Occupational Safety and Health at KES 413,000 through its Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate occupational safety in health training. DOSHS regulates occupational safety and health in Kenya, and MoH oversees infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. JKUAT offers related MSc Occupational Safety and Health at KES 413,000 through its Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate occupational safety in health training.
Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS)
Professional accreditation
DOSHS under the Ministry of Labour regulates occupational safety and health in Kenya. Graduates working as healthcare safety officers may benefit from DOSHS knowledge and OSH compliance expertise.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Healthcare Safety Officer
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages safety programmes in healthcare facilities, overseeing safety compliance, risk assessment, safety training, and supporting healthcare facility safety.
Infection Control Officer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages infection prevention and control programmes, overseeing IPC guidelines, surveillance, outbreaks, and supporting infection control in healthcare facilities.
Hospital Safety Manager
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Manages hospital safety operations, overseeing safety systems, emergency preparedness, waste management, and supporting hospital safety management.
Occupational Health Nurse
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 450,000
Provides occupational health services to healthcare workers, overseeing health surveillance, immunisation, counselling, and supporting healthcare worker health.
Biomedical Waste Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages biomedical waste programmes in healthcare facilities, overseeing waste segregation, treatment, disposal, compliance, and supporting biomedical waste management.
University Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches occupational safety in health in universities, conducting research and training future healthcare safety professionals.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as healthcare safety officers, infection control officers, and hospital safety managers in hospitals, health facilities, and government.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical software for healthcare safety research data analysis, infection data, adverse event data, epidemiology, and statistical modelling in healthcare safety research.
WHO IPC Toolkit
SoftwarePrimary
WHO infection prevention and control assessment toolkit for IPC programme evaluation, hand hygiene assessment, IPC facility assessment, and evaluating infection control programmes.
Excel
Software
Spreadsheet software for safety data management, infection surveillance data, waste management records, incident reports, and managing healthcare safety data.
EpiInfo
Software
Epidemiological software for infection surveillance, outbreak investigation, HAIs, disease clustering, and analysing infection control data in healthcare facilities.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Occupational safety in health is just about wearing PPE in hospitals.
The programme involves infection control, biomedical waste management, radiation safety, hospital safety systems, healthcare worker protection, and research, covering comprehensive healthcare safety.
This programme is the same as general occupational health and safety.
This programme focuses specifically on safety within healthcare settings, addressing unique hazards like infectious agents, biomedical waste, radiation, and healthcare-specific risks.
There is limited demand for healthcare safety professionals in Kenya.
Kenya's healthcare sector, infection control needs, hospital safety requirements, COVID-19 lessons, and DOSHS compliance create high demand for qualified healthcare safety professionals.
Healthcare safety is only relevant for large hospitals.
Healthcare safety is relevant for all health facilities including clinics, health centres, laboratories, dental clinics, and community health settings, not just large hospitals.
Infection control is the responsibility of nurses only.
Infection control is a multidisciplinary responsibility requiring trained safety professionals, not just nurses, involving all healthcare workers and facility management.
A master's in healthcare safety is redundant after a nursing or public health degree.
The master's provides specialised healthcare safety skills, infection control expertise, research capability, and career progression to senior healthcare safety positions.