Assessment of Safety Requirements and Their Practices Among Teaching Laboratories of Health Institutes

BACKGROUND: Laboratory work provides students with the ability to process skills, perform experiments and tests, and interpret experimental data. Instead of traditional teaching methods, there are good laboratory experiences to develop a conceptual understanding of science. A lack of laboratory safety requirements and practice can affect the health of students, staff, and the environment. Therefore, the current study provides updated safety requirements and practice information. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate safety requirements and practices among teaching laboratories at the Health Institute 2021. METHODS: An institutional-based descriptive study design was conducted on November 15-20, 2020, among staff members of the Bule Hora University Institute of Health. Seventeen randomly selected academic staffs and laboratory assistants from 2 departments participated in the study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. Finally, the data were coded and entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. Data were then analyzed using simple quantitative descriptions such as frequency counts and percentages. The data are presented in a table. RESULTS: Of the safety requirements evaluated, only 33.3% (6) were available in the laboratory. Of the safety practices evaluated, 44.6% were used all the time, 37.7% were used occasionally, and 17.6% were never practiced in the laboratory by the respondents. Of his respondents, 58.8% had never been regularly inspected for laboratory safety, and 77% had never received training in laboratory safety. Observations show that teaching laboratories in health organizations lack safety manuals/first aid diaries or guidelines, laboratory building drainage systems, adequate ventilation, water flow, and appropriate laboratory sizes. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals poor laboratory safety practices and safety requirements in teaching laboratories. These limitations may cause health problems, environmental pollution, contamination, and chemical spills. Stakeholders should improve safety requirements and create awareness among staff, students, and lab assistants.