NURSES' PERCEPTION OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to determine nurses' perceptions of occupational safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This study was conducted based on cross-sectional research principles. The sample of the study includes 160 nurses working in three public hospitals in Sakarya province. The research data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of four parts about nurses' personal characteristics, working conditions, occupational diseases/complaints and occupational accidents/injuries, and occupational safety measures taken during the pandemic period. Results: In the study, more than half of the participants (66.4%) had COVID-19 disease, (71.3%) did not find the personal protective equipment of sufficient quality, (68.8%) the working environment was not adequately ventilated, (67.5%) stated that orientation training was not given to nurses assigned from different fields. The mean score for “occupational diseases and complaints” of participants was 29.4±16.2, and the mean score for “support given to employees” by the institution during the pandemic was 4.1±2.5. Nurses who worked continuously during the day shift did not have an accident at work, did not have COVID-19, studied occupational safety during the pandemic, and did not plan to leave jobs were found to have a significantly higher level of occupational safety measures than other nurses (p