Assessing the awareness on occupational safety and health hazards among nursing staff of a teaching hospital

INTRODUCTION: Occupational safety and health hazards in healthcare facilities play a significant role in the lives of care providers and also contribute toward quality patient care. Healthcare workforce gets exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychological hazards while discharging their duties, thus demanding for proper knowledge and awareness to address the same. OBJECTIVES: As nursing staff implement the care process directed by the physicians, the current study conducted at a teaching hospital aimed at assessing their awareness on occupational safety and health hazards. METHODOLOGY: A prospective study was conducted on a pilot basis for a period of 3 months in various nursing areas of the hospital. The questionnaire aimed at assessing the awareness of nursing staff on occupational safety and health hazards (5-point scale) was administered on nursing staff (150/170]. Total scores and percentage of responses were computed and the degree of correlation was observed as 0.4 between the participants age, educational qualifications, and total scores. RESULTS: Participant response rate was 88% (150/170). Awareness on occupational safety and health hazards were shown as 43.4%- accidental falls at workplace, 42.7%- complete awareness on latex allergies, 52.7% on dermatitis and respiratory problems, 42% complete aware on accidental fires, 39.4%- burns, 36.7%- electric shocks, 59.4%- complete awareness on biological infections, 54%- respiratory disorders, 48.7%- skin allergies, awareness on usage of PPE to prevent: 67.4%-respiratory problems, 44%- accidental falls; 77.4%- importance of handwashing, 78% - significance of Hepatitis B vaccination, 71.4% - usage of first aid kits in minor accidents, 60%- reporting incidents, and 58%- documentation system for incident reporting. Sum total of scores revealed that 73.3% of the participants were found to be completely aware about all the components of occupational health and safety mentioned in the questionnaire. 22.6%- aware, 3.3%- moderately aware, and < 1% were slightly aware of the same. CONCLUSIONS: The study had highlighted the areas that require knowledge enhancement on occupational safety and health hazards which helps in adopting the best practices at workplace.