Physical working environment and welfare facilities related factors causing heavy workload: an empirical study among sanitary workers

Abstract

This survey, quantitative and empirical based descriptive research has the objective of analysing the perception of sanitary workers working in private multi-speciality hospitals in Tirunelveli city of Tamil Nadu, India towards various physical working environment and welfare facilities related factors causing heavy workload. In order to achieve this objective, the study has sampled 80 respondents using both convenience and judgement sampling techniques; and from the chosen respondents the primary data were collected using schedule method with the help of questionnaire (translating the questions in respondents’ mother language, ‘Tamil’) along with interview. The secondary data were collected from journals, conference proceedings and government websites to add appropriate significance to the study. Percentage method has been administered to analyse both demographic characteristics of the study and perception of the respondents towards physical working environment and welfare facilities related factors causing heavy workload. The result of the analysis has discovered that majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the factors: location of the hospital and absence of transport facilities by the hospital, distance between departments and garbage storage, lack of technical support to transport garbage and disposal wastes, not allowed to use the life and need to use the steps compulsorily, complex layout of both the departments and the entire hospital, and size of the hospital are associated with heavy workload under physical working environment related factors. Similarly, majority of the respondents have agreed that the factors: absence of accommodation facilities to stay, absence of dedicated break areas and dress changing room, absence of convenience facilities (drinking water and separate toilet), absence of maternity related aids (crèche and feeding room), and no free lunch or no food with concession rate under welfare facilities related factors.