Knowledge Of Safety Measures Research Articles

Informal welders' occupational safety and environmental health risks in northwestern Tanzania.

Often with minimal formal training and protections, informal welders face significant occupational health and safety (OSH) risks. This cross-sectional study of 219 adult informal welders at 70 informal welding sites in Mwanza City, Tanzania aimed to: 1) capture knowledge and awareness of occupational risks and safety precautions, training, and self-reported work-related injuries and illness and 2) observe worker use of personal protective equipment and site safety. We hypothesized that knowledge, awareness, and site inspections would improve use of PPE and that improved safety and site inspections would reduce self-reported injuries and illness. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to model all relationships. Robust standard error estimation was used to avoid overestimation of parameters. Having a post-secondary education (aβ = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.962, 1.061; p = 0. 0679), having training in OSH (aβ = 0.927, 95% CI: 0.872, 0.984, p = 0.014), increased knowledge of occupational risks (aβ = 1.305, 95% CI: 1.143, 1.491; p<0.001), and knowledge of safety measures (aβ = 1.112, 95% CI: 0.881, 1.404; p = 0.372) increased PPE use by 1%, 7.3%, 30.5%, and 11.2% respectively. Workers who used PPE were less likely to experience fire explosions (AOR = 0.149, 95% CI: 0.029, 0.751; p = 0.02), radiation exposure (AOR = 0.097, 95% CI: 0.016, 0.579, p = 0.01) or electric shocks (AOR = 0.012; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.11, p<0.001). Having increased knowledge of safety practices also decreased the odds of fire explosions (AOR = 0.075, 95% CI: 0.018, 0.314; p<0.001). Those with higher knowledge of occupational risk (aβ = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.404, 1.756; p<0.001) and safety measures (aβ = 1.628, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.978; p<0.001) were more likely to have more positive attitudes towards safety practices. Our findings suggest that comprehensive targeted interventions including increased knowledge of occupational risks, safety practices, and occupational health law through training, along with enforcement and inspection by government officials, would benefit the environmental and occupational health for informal welders.

'Cultural Insights into Adults' Hearing Awareness and Personal Listening Device Habits: A Survey Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate adults' habits regarding personal listening devices (PLDs), associated factors such as tinnitus and hearing threshold shift, and their knowledge of safety measures, including the use of hearing protectors in noisy environments. A cross-sectional survey was designed and distributed online. Participants between the ages of 18 and 40 years were invited to complete the survey. The online survey was filled out by 274 individuals with an average age of 24.2 years (SD= 5.1 years). Based on age, the participants were grouped into young adults (18-23 years old, 151 participants) and adults (24-40 years old, 123 participants). The estimation of noise exposure was calculated based on self-reported responses of PLD use. Two categories emerged from this calculation: the participants with exposure lower than 80 dB were in the low exposure category (N: 196, 62.9 dB), while the participants with exposure higher than 80 dB were in the high exposure category (N: 78, 89.9 dB). Based on the age categories, most of the questionnaire answers were similar between the young adults and the adults, revealing similar habits in using their PLDs. However, the investigation based on exposure revealed differences, as the participants with high exposure levels were more likely to have hobbies that involved noise, and they were less likely to obtain hearing evaluations. Among the participants, 30% used their devices at the maximum volume level and on a daily basis. 33.5% reported experiencing worsening in hearing, 2.4% reported persistent tinnitus, 94.1% knew that hearing protectors were available but only 20.7% reported using hearing protectors. The study concludes that adults are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening habits. A discrepancy between knowledge and practice is apparent and needs to be addressed in young adults by increasing awareness of hearing loss, hearing protection and annual hearing evaluation.

Safety Practices and Associated Factors among Healthcare Waste Handlers in Four Public Hospitals, Southwestern Ethiopia

Occupational safety is a critical concern for disease prevention and control at healthcare facilities. Medical waste handlers, in particular, are those most exposed to occupational hazards among healthcare workers. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate safety practices and associated factors among healthcare waste handlers in four public hospitals, southwest Ethiopia from 15 March to 30 May 2022. The study included 203 healthcare waste handlers. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and observational checklists. The overall performance of occupational safety practices among healthcare waste handlers was 47.3% (95%CI; 40.3, 54.2). Waste handlers with an educational status of secondary and above (AOR 4.95; 95%CI 2.13, 11.50), good knowledge of infection prevention and safety practices (AOR 4.95; 95%CI 2.13, 11.50), training in infection prevention and safety practices (AOR 2.57; 95%CI 1.25, 5.29), and adequate access to safety materials (AOR 3.45; 95%CI 1.57, 7.60) had significantly better occupational safety practices than their counterparts. In general, medical waste handlers’ occupational safety practices were found to be inadequate. Waste handlers’ knowledge of safety measures and training, educational level, and availability of safety materials were predictors of safe occupational practices. Therefore, appropriate strategies and actions are needed to ensure the safe occupational practices of healthcare waste handlers.

Awareness and Knowledge Regarding Safety Measures and Disinfection Protocols during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic among Dental Students – A Questionnaire Survey

Context: The existing situation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created enormous pressure and anxiety among dental students practicing in dental institutions. Aim: The aim of this sentence was to evaluate the awareness and knowledge of safety measures and disinfection protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic among dental students. Materials and Methods: Institutional ethical committee cleared the questionnaire format for the survey then this Google Forms was forwarded to dental students all over Maharashtra. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: Section A recorded sociodemographic details. Section B recorded knowledge about COVID-19. Section C recorded awareness of measures. Section D recorded awareness of disinfection protocols in the dental setup. Results: A total of 707 dental students from different colleges in Maharashtra participated in the study. A total of 200 postgraduate (PG) students (95.2%) and 458 (92.2%) undergraduate (UG) students correctly marked the incubation period for COVID-19 as 7–14 days. Ninety-nine percent of students are aware of personal protective equipment (PPE) kit to be used while treating patients as well as they are well known for the components of the PPE kit. Most of the PG (93.8%) and UG (82.9%) students understand the need for an oral rinse with mouthwash by the patient before treatment. Awareness and knowledge regarding safety measures and disinfection protocols were adequate among PG students. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges and responsibilities to institutions providing dental education. Upliftment of knowledge can lead to a positive attitude in resuming back to the dental practice in the respective institute.

Assessing Building Blocks for Patient Safety Culture-a Quantitative Assessment of Saudi Arabia.

PurposeThe study analyzes staffs’ perception of a safety culture and their knowledge of safety measures in the hospitals of Saudi Arabia.Patients and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted by considering six different public hospitals from Arar city, and by recruiting 503 nurses. Building blocks of patient safety culture were measured through survey questions.ResultsThe highest positive rating (81%) was received by both “people support one another in this unit” and “in this unit, people treat each other with respect.” Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety was rated neutrally (n = 283; 56%) with an average mean score of 3.17±0.50, which suggested a neutral response by participants. Organizational learning, along with continuous improvement, was positively rated (n = 406; 81%) with an average mean score of 3.93±0.61.ConclusionIt demonstrated that participant nurses neither disagree nor agree on the level of patient safety culture prevailing in their hospital setting.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of Greek health professionals, in relation to AIDS.

In order to improve educational programmes directed at health care workers we investigated their knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to HIV/AIDS. An anonymous self-administered questionnaires was distributed to 609 health care workers. Of these, 59.6% agreed to participate (42.4% of the medical doctors, 74.3% of the nurses and 79.6% of the laboratory technicians, health visitors and other health care workers). All studied groups believed that their knowledge of HIV modes of transmission (84.3%) was sufficient. In contrast, a relatively small percentage reported knowledge of the clinical spectrum of HIV infection (48.8%) and the diagnostic assays (57.6%). Nearly all the study participants believe (92.8%) that there is a risk of acquiring HIV infection during the hospitalization of HIV/AIDS patients. Obligatory screening of all patients was reported by nearly all participants (90.6%) as a chance to minimize their occupational risk. Although health care workers reported satisfactory knowledge of safety measures (87.0%), only 56.7% used gloves and 38.8% accept the hospitalization of HIV/AIDS patients. In spite of the educational programmes for AIDS in Greece, this study demonstrates that health professionals' knowledge and precautionary measures are not sufficient. As a result, a small percentage of them treat AIDS patients without discrimination. There is an urgent need to implement specific educational programmes for health professionals so that they will safely provide high quality care to people affected by HIV/AIDS.