Safety education status and needs priorities of Korean military food service personnel using the Borich Needs Assessment and the Locus for Focus model: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Since the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in Korea in 2021, the importance of safety management in food service facilities has increased. This study was conducted to examine the status of safety education and to identify educational needs for safety accident prevention among army food service personnel.

Methods: This study included 157 food service personnel from Army units located in Gyeongsangnam-do. Participants were divided into two groups based on the daily number of meals served. Demographic characteristics, the status of safety education, and priority for safety accident prevention education were evaluated.

Results: A total of 97.5% of participants received safety education, with 60.8% attending at least monthly. "Lecture" (63.4%) was the most commonly used educational method. The preferred educational methods were "Lecture" (23.5%) and "Counselling" (23.5%), showing significant group differences (P < 0.001). A total of 79.6% of participants reported applying the educational content in their performance. The mean importance score for safety accident prevention (4.78) was higher than the performance score (4.44), with significant differences between the two groups observed in the importance scores (P < 0.05). "Slip & burn" had the highest importance score, while "Electric shock and fire" had the highest performance score. The educational needs analysis revealed that the highest priority item for the < 100 meals group was "When moving heavy items, an assistive device or assistance from colleagues should be utilized", while for the ≥ 100 meals group, it was "When using a vegetable cutter or grinder, use an exclusive stick."

Conclusion: This study can serve as a foundational database for developing customized safety education programs tailored to Korean army food service personnel.