A study of occupational health and safety measures in the Laundry Department of a private tertiary care teaching hospital, Bengaluru

Abstract

Introduction:The Laundry Department plays an important role in preventing the spread of infection and continuously supplying clean linen to various departments in any hospital.Objectives of the Study:To identify existing practices and occupational safety and health (OSH) measures in the Laundry Department and to assess the use of personal protective equipments (PPEs) among health care workers.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out in a private tertiary care teaching hospital. An observation checklist was developed, which was partially based on occupational hazard checklist of OSHA for Laundry Department. This was field tested and validated for applicability for this study.Results:The potential biological hazards are infections through exposure to aerosols, spills and splashes during various activities, fungal infection due to wet clothes and environment and infections through fomites. The potential physical hazards are injuries due to slips and falls, exposure to heat, humidity, dust, noise, and vibration. The potential chemical hazards are contact dermatitis and allergic asthma due to exposure to detergents, phenyl solution, bleaching powder, and soap oil solution. The potential ergonomic hazards are musculoskeletal diseases and repetitive stress injuries at the shoulder, elbow, and small joints of the hands. PPEs were not used consistently in most areas of the department.

Personal protective equipment compliance among laundry workers in secondary and tertiary health facilities in Nigeria

“…This is similar to findings by Kumar et al, who noted that the workers did not use ear plugs as it was not available to them, and was confirmed in a report by the Kenya ministry of health. 8,11 These findings show that not all of the required Personal Protective Equipment were provided at all times for the laundry workers as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that Personal Protective Equipment provides a physical barrier between hazards and the wearer, and should be used by healthcare workers, and supported by Pyrek who noted that exposure to potentially infectious pathogens in the laundry can be limited by the use of PPE. 4,7 Whenever nose masks were provided for them, a number of respondents in the secondary health facility reported that they always made use of them, as opposed to respondents in the tertiary health facility who all reported otherwise.…”

“…According to a study by Kumar et al, boots were ill-fitting especially for the female laundry workers, uncomfortable and slowed movements during the activity. 11 Among those provided with coveralls, almost all of the respondents in both secondary and tertiary health facilities alike reported that they always made use of them. Majority of the few who did not comply reported necessity as the reason for non-compliance, stating that wearing coveralls was not always necessary.…”

“…10 Pyrek noted that exposure to potentially infectious pathogens in the laundry can be limited by the use of PPE, however, Kumar et al noted that hospital laundry workers did not use PPE consistently and that the factors affecting the noncompliance of the PPE usage depended on the type of PPE and activities they were involved in. 4,11 Hence, this study provides information on the PPE compliance of the workers at the laundry, as this would prove useful in order to establish appropriate interventions to minimize occupational risks of workers in the healthcare laundries.…”

Effect of Selected Occupational Health and Safety Management Practices on Job Satisfaction of Employees in University Campuses in Nakuru Town, Kenya

“…Occupational safety and health (OSH) is generally defined as the science of the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of hazards arising from the workplace that could impair the health and well-being of workers, taking into account the possible impact on the surrounding communities and the general environment [12]. It is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in employment or work.…”

“…This scenario exposes the employees to risks such as: terrorism, fire disasters, armed robberies and pollution among others [5] In cognizance of the role played by effective OHS management in relation to job satisfaction of employees who work in organizations prone to risks such as afore mentioned, many scholars and policy makers have turned their attention to OHS management practices as a field of study. A study conducted by [12] on the relationship between OHS practices and Job satisfaction of employees in hospitals India. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between OHS practices and job satisfaction.…”