KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF POSTGRADUATE LABORATORY TECHNICIAN STUDENTS ABOUT OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS AND SAFETY MEASURES

Introduction: laboratory workers face several occupational health hazards at work. A laboratory hazard could cause damage or injury. Aim of Work: To assess the level of occupational safety measures and knowledge about occupational hazards among laboratory technicians’ students and factors affecting their knowledge and safety practice. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study among 178 postgraduate laboratory technicians’ students from Technical Health Institute in Mansoura, Egypt. Data were collected by a self-administered validated structured questionnaire based on previous studies. Results: Less than 50% of the studied technicians had good knowledge (47.2%), about safety measures including general administrative measures, personal protection, standard procedures and lab work area (77%, 71.3%, 59%, 72.5%; respectively). The most frequently reported occupational hazards are chemical hazards (55.6%) followed by ergonomic hazards (19.7%) and biological hazards (14%). Age and education are significant independent predictors of good occupational health knowledge. Moreover, knowledge, education and duration of employment are significant independent predicators for good safety practice. Conclusion and Recommendations: Knowledge of occupational health hazards and safety measures among laboratory technicians are not adequate. This can be improved through the organization of regular laboratory safety training. Developing national regulations for occupational lab health and safety is necessary