Perception of Healthcare Workers towards Workplace Safety and Ergonomics: A Comparative Study between Government and Private Hospitals in Vadodara
Charmi Patel
MBA Scholar, Faculty of Management Studies, Parul University
Abstract: Workplace safety and ergonomics are extremely important parts of occupational health in healthcare facilities, and they directly affect the well-being of the employees and the quality of their services. Physical, biological, and ergonomic risks are often faced by healthcare workers, so it is necessary to determine how they perceive the working conditions. This research paper will focus on comparing and analyzing the attitude of healthcare workers towards occupational safety and ergonomics in government and private hospitals in Vadodara. The study was carried out using an empirical, cross-sectional research design. The primary data were presumed to be gathered on 430 workers in the healthcare sector (government and private hospitals) in the form of a structured questionnaire. The tool evaluated workplace safety and ergonomics on a five-point liker scale. Data analysis was done in SPSS and it involved the use of descriptive statistics, analysis of reliability and t-test of independent samples, and Pearson correlation coefficient. The findings showed that the perception of the workplace safety and ergonomics showed statistically significant difference between the healthcare workers in government and private hospitals, with the latter having higher mean scores on both dimensions. Moreover, there was a high positive correlation between safety in the workplace and ergonomics, which implies that a high level of ergonomic practices correlates with a high level of safety perception among healthcare professionals. The research concludes that ergonomics and safety in the workplace can be associated with each other and should be used to facilitate the development of a healthy working environment in healthcare facilities. The results point to the necessity to implement combined safety and ergonomic measures especially in the government hospitals to enhance the occupational health outcomes and welfare of employees..
Keywords: Workplace Safety; Ergonomics; Healthcare Workers; Government and Private Hospitals; Occupational Health; SPSS Analysis