Occupational Hazards Associated with Quality and Training Needs in Public Health Inspectors in Greece

EasyChair Preprint 8813

Abstract

Background: Evidence of the strong link between occupational risks, and training needs & quality, the research on occupational risks and their consequences to the general well-being of Public Health Inspectors is very limited, although the nature of the work presents a range of threats to physical and psychological health. The aim of this study was to report the job risks of Public Health Inspectors (PHIs') and investigate possible relationships with training needs. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, nationwide study in Greece, conducted in one phase at the third quarter of 2021. For data collection, an online survey was created, and the web link was distributed to respondents by email. A total number were contacted, providing N=185 responses, which account for 27% (185/684) of the population under study. Job risks were measured with a novel instrument developed, proposed classification, also a checklist was proposed for risk assessment, and a developed instrument for measuring training needs and quality. Results: The findings indicated that 87% of participants gave high ratings to psychosocial risks and ergonomic risks, followed by 78% for organizational risks and 74% for biological risks. Physical risks and chemical risks are 55% and 56%. Organizational risks (β=-0.282, p=0.001), perceived training quality (β= 0.195, p=0.002), 65.41% reported high training needs. Conclusions: PHIs face a variety of job risks, these findings were among the first to address the Occupational Health and Safety of PHIs worldwide. Adding new information to occupational health and safety, which could be exploited to advance the quality of Public Health Services provision.

Keyphrases: Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational hazards, Public Health Inspectors, public health services

@booklet{EasyChair:8813,
  author    = {Ioannis Adamopoulos and Niki Syrou},
  title     = {Occupational Hazards Associated with Quality and Training Needs in Public Health Inspectors in Greece},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 8813},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2022}}