Article Text
Abstract
This study aims to identify problems and the health risk with worker who work with the infectious waste transportation (IWT) from hospital by private transport sector (PTS) in Thailand. The instrument test content validity analysis (IOC = 0.79), reliability analysis (Cobarch’s alpha = 0.82). The percentage, mean, standard division, and logistic regression were employed to describe the data. The results are as follow:
Total of 127 workers from 13 PTSs in Thailand 86.6% of workers were male, mean age of 31 years old, most of them were married (71.7%) and the mean of working were 5.03 years. The main work were collector of 57.5%, drivers of 26%, both driver and collector of 16.5%. The mean driving time of 8 hrs a day (min:max = 2:24 hrs). 61.1% of the driver have had rotated every 4 hr. Only 38.6% was trained (control of precaution and protection) by the Ministry of Public Health. In one year later, The worker had an accident or injury (punch with needle or other sharp) from IW during working 42.5%, 37.8% have had contaminated or touch with the infectious fluid, 18.9% had traffic accident (car turnover, clash, offside cone) and 8.3% had the IW or leachates flood pour out from vehicle or container. The factors associated with risk of the health of the IW worker taken into account of affect of other factors, it were found that prevention and precaution training, job position, age and yearly health check were statistical significant with the health risk, it were found that prevention and precaution training (OR = 4.61) job position (OR = 3.68), Age (OR = 2.97) and yearly health check (OR = 0.96) were statistical significant with the health risk. The problems of IW transportation from hospital by PTS were health risk. The infectious waste management (IWM) which organised by PTS need to develop for better system and quality.