Awareness on Health Hazards and Protective Measures Among Healthcare Workers: A Study of Public Health Facilities

Author(s): Naveen Malik and Gunjan Tripathi

Biological, chemical, physical, and psychological risks are among a variety of occupational health hazards that healthcare workers (HCWs) in public hospitals frequently encounter. For their own safety as well as the protection of their patients, it is essential that healthcare workers are aware of these risks and the appropriate safeguards. The Cluster and stratified Sampling technique was used to collect the data. The sample size of 410 healthcare workers was considered in public hospital on prevalent health risks and suitable preventative measures were evaluated in this crosssectional survey. A standardized questionnaire including various hazards, occupational risks and protective measures was used to gather data. The findings showed that the healthcare workers have 79.92% awareness level towards health hazards and occupational risks whereas 75.30% awareness level towards protective measures. The findings suggest that the healthcare workers have moderate level of general knowledge, with noticeable deficiencies in areas like identifying hazards and using personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly. Awareness scores and factors including job category, years of experience, and previous safety training were found to be significantly correlated. In order to raise knowledge and encourage safe working practices in public healthcare settings, the study highlights the necessity of consistent, focused occupational health training programs.