Occupational Health Hazards among Workers in Hospital Laundry Department at Benha City

Abstract

Background: Workers in hospital laundry have exhausting duties and are exposed to various environmental and work related problems. The aim of the study: was to assess the occupational health hazards among workers in Hospital Laundry Department at Benha City. Research design: A descriptive research design was utilized to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted at the laundry departments of Governmental and Non-Governmental Hospitals at Benha City. Sampling: A Convenience sample of all Hospital Laundry Workers 110 divided into 55 in Governmental Hospitals and 55 in Non-Governmental Hospitals was involved in this study. Tools: Two tools were used. Tool I: A structured interviewing questionnaire it consist of four items: A: socio-demographic characteristics of the studied laundry workers. B: Job characteristics of the studied laundry workers. C: It was concerned with health problems among studied laundry workers. D: It was concerned with studied laundry workers knowledge about occupational health hazards and safety measures. Tool II: Observational checklist which consisted of two parts A: assess laundry workers practices regarding safety measures. B: Assess the workplace environment safety and sanitation condition. Results: 34.5%of the studied laundry workers in Non-Governmental Hospitals had poor knowledge about occupational health hazards. 69.1 % of the studied laundry workers in Non-Governmental Hospitals had satisfactory regarding their total practices. Conclusion: the current study revealed that the majority of the studied laundry workers had health problems. Recommendation: perform health education program for laundry workers about occupational health hazards and preventive measures.