Cleaner’s Awareness, Safety Behaviors, and Health Status in a University in the Southern Thailand

Abstract

Cleaning workers are a common occupation in many places and are at risk of exposure to physical, chemical, and biological threats. The objectives of this cross-sectional research study were to 1) study awareness and safe work behaviors, 2) study health effects, and 3) study the relationship between safety behavior and safety awareness among cleaners at a university in southern Thailand. A purposive sampling of 83 subjects completed the questionnaires between 4 January 2022-30 May 2023 and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple linear regressions. The study found that 100 percent of cleaning staff were females. Overall, safety awareness was at a moderate level with an average of 2.23 (SD=0.21) and a moderate occupational safety behavior with an average of 2.18 (SD=0.15). For the cleaning workers who used gloves, masks/nasal masks, and handwashing habits, there was a statistically significant difference in awareness and safe working behavior at p<0.05. The results of the multiple linear regression showed that security behavior and safety awareness were statistically significantly correlated (F: 582.441, p<0.001). Additionally, cleaners with high safety awareness exhibit more positive safety behaviors (β: 0.892, p<0.001). Thus, monitoring physical, chemical, and biological hazards is critical. Furthermore, developing programs to lessen health consequences, such as those for managing muscular-skeletal pain and occupational stress, can improve the cleaners' quality of life.