Occupational Health Hazards and Needle Stick Injuries among Medical Laboratory Workers

Abstract

Background: Although all healthcare employees are open to work-related injuries but medical laboratory workers are more exposed to blood and other possibly contagious items are at greater risk of developing various blood borne infections. Recognizing frequency and context of contact to blood and bloodborne pathogens might be aid in developing policies for prevention. Objectives: to find the frequency and types of occupational health hazards along with needle stick damages in medical laboratory employees in Lahore, Pakistan. Methodology: Hospital based, analytical cross-sectional study was done from November 2018 to January 2019.A total of 217 medical laboratory personnel were enrolled by non-probability convenience sampling. Pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Absolute number with percentage was used to present the descriptive data while to determine the statistical association between associated factors and occupational exposure, chi-square analysis was used. A p value of < 0.05 was considered as statistical significant. Results: A total 217 medical laboratory workers were made part of the study with the mean age of contributors was 36.1 years (±10.0 years). About 94 (46.8%) of medical laboratory workers gave history of needle prick. 57 (28.4%) respondents were open to non-biological hazardous material, while 37(18.4%) became exposed to natural/organic dangerous substances and about 16(8%) participants had exposure to both natural and non-natural risks. The most common cause of work-related injuries reported in the medical laboratory workers was ergonomics risk elements (23 including errors, tours, crowded working environment and workroom. Type of hospitals, job category and experience were statistically significantly associated with needle stick injury. Conclusion: The present research represented high proportion of various types of occupational hazards. Needle stick injuries and exposure of HBC and HCV infection were quite common among laboratory workers. Therefore, there should be monitoring system which could be offered correct information regarding occupational hazards and needle stick injury. Pertinent stakeholders need to develop policies to make a encouraging working environment and enhance their devotion to worldwide safety measures.