Perceptions regarding workplace hazards at a veterinary teaching hospital.
OBJECTIVE
To assess perceptions of personnel working at a veterinary teaching hospital regarding risks of occupational hazards and compare those perceptions with assessments made by occupational safety experts.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
A representative sample of personnel (n = 90) working at the veterinary teaching hospital at Colorado State University and a panel of 3 occupational safety experts.


METHODS
Hospital personnel ranked perceptions of 14 physical, chemical, and biological workplace hazards and listed the injuries, illnesses, and near misses they had experienced. The expert panel provided consensus rankings of the same 14 hazards for 9 sections of the facility. Risk perceptions provided by the 2 sources were compared.


RESULTS
Risk perceptions did not differ significantly between hospital personnel and the expert panel for most of the site-specific comparisons (94/126 [75%]). Personnel perceived greater risks for some physical hazards (loud noises, sharps injuries, and ionizing radiation) and some chemical or materials exposures (insecticides or pesticides and tissue digester emissions). In contrast, the expert panel perceived greater risks for physical hazards (bite or crush and restraining and moving animals), chemical exposures (anesthetic waste gas), and biological exposures (Toxoplasma gondii, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and allergens).


CONCLUSIONS
Participants and safety experts had similar perceptions about occupational risks, but there were important differences where hospital personnel apparently overestimated or underappreciated the risks for workplace hazards. This type of study may be useful in guiding development of optimal workplace safety programs for veterinary hospitals.
Weaver
Dustin R
DR
Animal Population Health Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Newman
Lee S
LS
Lezotte
Dennis C
DC
Morley
Paul S
PS
D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000328:Adult; D003120:Colorado; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010465:Perception; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D019779:Salmonella enterica; D012582:Schools, Veterinary / Q000592:standards*; D014122:Toxoplasma; D055815:Young Adult
D015386:Hazardous Substances