Perception of risk, knowledge and preparation before ethylene oxide leaks in workers of the Guantánamo pediatric hospital

Abstract

Background: The unsafe handling of ethylene oxide can generate leaks with serious consequences for the health of workers.

Objective: To evaluate the risk perception, the knowledge (conceptual domain) about the effects of ethylene oxide and the preparation to face leak scenarios in workers of the Guantánamo Pediatric Hospital.

Methodology: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. An anonymous survey was applied to 184 workers (census sampling, response rate 96.3%) by means of a Likert scale 1–5, labor characteristics, knowledge on the effects of ethylene oxide, perception of risk and preparation for emergencies were explored. The instrument was validated by expert judgment (content validity >0.91) and showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha 0.89) A descriptive bivariate analysis was conducted (chi-square and Mann-Whitney U) and content analysis of an open question.

Results: Only 19% received training in the last year. The conceptual domain of acute and chronic effects was low (medians of 3 in both, on a scale of 1-5) 88% perceived a leak as a serious event (median 5). Preparation was the most deficient dimension with medians from 1 to 2 in most items, especially in knowledge of the own role in the face of a leak (median 2) and conducting of drills (medians 1).Three categories were identified in the open question: Demand for training (92.3%), need for drills (60.7%) and lack of resources (35.7%).

Conclusions: There is a high perception of gravity but it coexists with a low conceptual domain and an insufficient preparation.