Perception of Occupational Hazard Among Nurses in a Southeastern Anatolia Public Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Healthcare workers, especially nurses, face high risks due to their exposure to various workplace hazards. Identifying the perception of occupational hazards faced by nurses can be beneficial for both nurses themselves and the health system, as it may assist reduce risk. Aim: This study aimed to assess the level of perception of occupational hazards among nurses and to identify associated factors in a public hospital in Southeastern Anatolia, Türkiye. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 211 nurses using an online questionnaire. Data were collected using a socio-demographic and work-related questionnaire, along with a perception of occupational hazard scale. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the quantitative data, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 137 out of 211 nurses (64.9%) considered their profession to be very risky. The results show that nurses perceive their occupational hazards as high, with a mean score of 4.19 out of 5 and 71.38 out of 85 total scores. Among the sub-dimensions, risks related to physical space (temperature, floor, humidity, noise level, and reflections and glare caused by glass and other surfaces) received an average score of 3.34 out of 5, personal and organizational risks 4.77, and psychological and ergonomic risks 4.24. Nurses who worked rotating shifts perceived a higher risk than those who worked day shifts (p=0.022). Additionally, nurses who worked in night shift reported higher perceptions of occupational hazards (p=0.002). Nurses who worked more than 60 hours per week perceived a higher risk compared to those who worked between 30-40 and 40-50 hours per week (p=0.048). Furthermore, nurses who worked overtime had higher perception scores for occupational hazard than those who did not work overtime (p=0.006). Conclusion: As a result, it was revealed that nurses work in a high-risk environment and have a high level of perception of occupational hazards, especially regarding personal and institutional risks, as well as psychological and ergonomic risks. Factors such as working rotating shifts and night shifts, high weekly working hours, and overtime affect the perception of occupational hazards. Reduction of weekly working hours and overtime, organization of shift system, and, systematic training on occupational hazards can be useful in reducing occupational hazards. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2024; 38(3): 00-00] Keywords: Perception of occupational hazard, nurses, healthcare workers, workplace safety, Türkiye