AWARENESS AND BEHAVIORS OF CLEANING STAFF TOWARDS INFECTIOUS AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT AT SUAN SUNANDHA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY, BANGKOK, THAILAND

Abstract

                At Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, there are primary care services, having medical personnel, nurse and pharmacist on duty. Trash, infectious and hazardous wastes are disposed daily. The study is undertaken with a purpose to study the awareness and behavior of cleaning staff towards Infectious and Hazardous Wastes Management at the university. A questionnaire is used as the tool for collecting data from 46 staffs. The data is analyzed via statistical program and tools. The results reveal that the majority of staff is men (54.3%), aging between 18 to 59 years, and 50.0% holding primary education certificate. In terms of awareness, the low rate gains the highest level (43.5%), followed by the medium rate and minimal rate (37.0% and 19.6%), respectively. In terms of operation behaviors, 50% of staff covers their bodies entirely, puts on gloves, wears rubber galoshes, and wears masks during their operation. When considering on infectious and hazardous wastes management, the majority of staffs (43% – 46%) rates the level of the most frequently when part of their organs / body expose the infectious or hazardous wastes – they would clean themselves immediately; meanwhile, the area would be suddenly clean when those wastes are fallen during moving.