ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE & PRACTICES ON FIRE SAFETY AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN CLINICAL LABORATORY OF TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN NORTH INDIA - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Objectives Fire safety is of paramount importance in healthcare settings, particularly in clinical laboratories where hazardous substances, ammable materials, and complex equipment are frequently present. Knowledge and practices of health care workers about re safety prevention is essential to ensure the well-being of patients, staff, and the preservation of critical healthcare services. Material & Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in clinical biochemistry laboratory of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, during from April 2023 to August 2023. Study participants included the doctors, paramedical technical staff and group IV people. A questionnaire with close ended and open ended questions was used for assessment. The data was tabulated in Microsoft MS-Excel data sheet and analysis was done using SPSS 27 version of statistical software. Categorical variables were presented as number, percentage and median. Qualitative variables were compared using Chi-Square test and quantitative variables using Kruskal Wallis test. For statistical signicance, p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically signicant. 63 HCWs Results participated in the study which gave a 100% response rate. Most of the participants were Doctors (42.86%) and Laboratory technicians (44.44%) with variable years of work experience ranging from <1 year to >9 years. The results indicate that participants have a mean knowledge score of 7.94 ± 1.4 and median of 8 whereas the mean practice score was 7.24 ± 1.28 with a median of 7 towards re safety. Conclusion: The present hospital based study revealed that the majority of healthcare workers had signicant knowledge about re safety but still considering the important role of every employee in a re accident, there is need to give re safety training to all health care workers at timely intervals.