Relationship between work risks with ergonomic practices at work of outpatient department personnel, Pathum Thani hospital

Abstract

The objectives of this study were: 1) to examine work-related risks and ergonomic practices in the workplace, and 2) to investigate the relationship between work-related risks and ergonomic practices among outpatient department personnel at Pathum Thani Hospital. The sample consisted of 80 outpatient department personnel, selected through purposive sampling. The study was conducted from June to July 2023. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient.
The results showed that: 1) the overall level of work-related risk among outpatient department personnel was moderate (x̄  = 1.84, S.D. = 0.43), while their ergonomic practices were at a low level (x̄  = 2.47, S.D. = 0.62); 2) work-related stress and fatigue were found to have a low positive correlation with ergonomic practices related to stance (r = 0.315, p = 0.004) and exertion (r = 0.316, p = 0.004), at a statistically significant level of 0.01. In addition, knowledge regarding the maintenance of tools and machinery had a low positive correlation with ergonomic practices in stance (r = 0.258, p = 0.021), exertion (r = 0.222, p = 0.047), and work behavior (r = 0.242, p = 0.031), at a statistically significant level of 0.05.
In conclusion, work-related risks were consistently associated with poor ergonomic practices among personnel. It is recommended that hospital administrators implement training programs to improve knowledge and awareness of ergonomics among staff, which may help reduce work-related injuries.