Abstract
Background: Awareness to health hazards and biosafety precautions among laboratory workers is an important aspect. Technicians handle blood or any biological sample may be at risk for accidental injury or exposure. They are exposed to a large pool of specimens from patients suffering from infections such as hepatitis B virus and human immunodeï¬ciency virus.Thelackofawarenessregardingbiosafetyissuesresultsinimproperhandlingand/ordangerouslaboratorypractices during sample collection, processing, and discarding of specimens, potentially making laboratory technicians more exposed to pathogens. Objective: The aim of this study was to ï¬nd out the level of awareness and biosafety measures taken by laboratory technicians during their routine work in a tertiary-care center. Material andMethods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital (Central Lab), using a standardized and basic questionnaire, which enquired about awareness and precautions taken by technicians during laboratory work. All (N = 24) technicians enrolled in this study were from departments of pathology, biochemistry, microbiology, blood bank, and sample collection room. Results: Of 24 laboratory technicians, maximum (33.3%) technicians were from pathology department followed by biochemistry(25%)department.Accordingtoage,theyoungesttechnicianwasof24yearsandtheoldestwasof46years. On the basis of their response regarding awareness, knowledge, and biosafety precaution questions, of 24 technicians, 8 (33.3%) were found aware of universal work precaution, 18 (75%) were found immunized with hepatitis B vaccine, and 18 (75%) were found to leave the laboratory without following proper hand wash rule after ï¬nishing duty. Conclusion: Knowledge of all the technicians is adequate but there is lack of awareness and practicality among them. There is need to develop standard operating procedures with biosafety training programs and self-hygienic procedures for laboratory workers.