The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69621

Mario H. Rodriguez, PhD, MPH¹, Miguel Martinez, PhD², and Carlos Andujar, PhD². (1) School of Public Health, Health Services Administration Department, University of Puerto Rico, P O Box 365067, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, 787-767-5878, mhrodriguez@hotmail.com, (2) Carlos Albizu University, PO Box 9023711, San Juan, PR 00902-3711

Statement of the problem: Safety climate (SC) is an important determinant in the risk of accidents in the workplace. Variables that contribute to understanding the determinants of SC in the workplace must be identified.

Procedure: A self-administered questionnaire that includes demographic, organizational questions and the 45 items that make up the Safety Climate Scale (Alpha=.93) (Rodríguez et al., 2000) was used for the research. The sample for this study was chosen by convenience and was composed of 154 professional nurses who work in a general hospital in Puerto Rico.

Results: An index of accidents and incidents in the workplace in the previous six months among the nursing personnel was designed. It revealed that 87.0% of the nurses had not experienced an accident or incident in the workplace, 7.1% had experienced one event, 3.3% two and 2.6% three or more events. An inverse, weak and significant correlation (r=-.21, p=.01) was observed between the measure of incidents and accidents in the workplace and the measure of the SC. Statistically significant differences were observed in the measure of the SC and relationship with coworkers (p=.001) and with supervisors (p=.000). Those who reported having a good relationship with coworkers and supervisors had a more favorable perception of the SC.

Conclusion: The study reveals that the variables that contribute to understanding the determinants of the SC are the number of accidents and incidents in the workplace and the individual’s relationships with coworkers and supervisors. These should be taken into account when designing safety prevention programs.

Learning Objectives:

After reviewing the information on the poster, participants will be able to:
• Identify determinants of the safety climate in a hospital environment.
• Recognize the importance of coworkers and supervisory personnel in the perception of safety climate in a general hospital.
• Recognize the importance of safety climate perception in accident prevention in a hospital environment.

Keywords: Health Care Workers, Occupational Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.