Physical, Chemical and Biological Hazards among Veterinary Health Care Workers

Helal, Eslam Naseib Moussa; Abd Elmohsen, Afaf Salah; Elsayed, Doaa Mohamed Sobhy; Abd Elaziz, Nashwa Samir

doi:10.21608/znj.2024.346220

Physical, Chemical and Biological Hazards among Veterinary Health Care Workers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Demonstrator of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Misr University for Science and Technology.

² Professor of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Helwan University

³ Assistant professor of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Benha University.

⁴ Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing-Benha University.

10.21608/znj.2024.346220

Abstract

Background: The veterinary health care workers are exposed to many hazards. Understanding of hazards is critical for developing strategies to ensure the health and safety of the veterinary health care workers. Aim: This study was conducted to assess physical, chemical, and biological hazards among veterinary health care workers. Subjects and methods: Research design: Descriptive research design was used in this study. Setting: The study was conducted in eight veterinary health care units. Sample: Convenience sample consisted of 64 veterinary health care workers was used in this study from previously mentioned setting. Tools of data collection: Structured interviewing questionnaire consisted of three parts: Part 1 (A) Demographic characteristics of veterinary health care workers; (B) Characteristics of Veterinary health care workers; (C) past medical history of veterinary health care workers Part 2: Veterinary health care workers' knowledge about physical, chemical and biological hazards Part3: A reported practice checklist concerned with veterinary health care workers Part4: reported practices regarding prevention of physical, chemical and biological hazards. Results: The study revealed that, 78.1% of the studied veterinary health care workers had exposed to health hazards, and 37.4% of them had good knowledge score about physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Also, 68.7% of them had unsatisfactory total score practices regarding physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Conclusion: More than half of the studied veterinary health care workers exposed to physical hazards compared to more than two thirds of them had exposed to chemical hazards, and more than one fourth of them reported having biological hazards. About two thirds of the studied veterinary health care workers had unsatisfactory practices. There was a positive correlation between total practices score and total knowledge score of the veterinary health care workers. Recommendations: Health Education program for all veterinary health care workers regarding preventive measures of physical, chemical, and biological health hazards.

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