Evaluation of occupational health and safety performance of employees in a public hospital and risk analysis with Fine Kinney method

Occupational safety is an integrated and systematic process that aims to protect against existing hazards and factors that could jeopardize employee health in the workplace, while also providing a healthier, safer, and more productive work environment. Hospitals, due to their direct interaction with patients, inherently pose multifaceted risks. Therefore, both globally and in Turkey, healthcare professionals inevitably face significant threats from a health and safety perspective. It is crucial for hospitals, as leading providers of healthcare services, to identify their risk levels and implement relevant measures. This thesis aims to evaluate the occupational health and safety (OHS) performance of employees working in a public institution and to conduct a risk analysis of the work environment using the Fine Kinney method. The assessment of OHS performance was carried out using a personnel information form and the Occupational Health and Safety Practices Performance Scale, while the Fine Kinney risk analysis method was applied for the risk assessment. The sample consisted of 197 staff members working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Erzurum City Hospital. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26, and presented through means, percentages, and standard deviations. Skewness and kurtosis analyses were employed to evaluate the normality of the data distribution. Analysis of the overall scale scores revealed a moderate level of OHS practice performance. Employees aged 36–40 demonstrated higher OHS performance scores compared to those aged 18–25. Participants who were married, female, and university graduates showed better OHS performance than their unmarried counterparts. Employees whose income was less than their expenses had lower OHS performance scores than those whose income and expenses were balanced. Participants with over 16 years of experience in the profession and the institution exhibited lower performance levels compared to those with 6–10 years of experience. Doctors, nurses, and medical secretaries had higher OHS performance levels compared to technical staff. Employees who had previously experienced a workplace accident showed lower OHS performance than those who had not. Participants who had received training on occupational health and safety demonstrated better performance than those who had not. Based on these findings, efforts should be made to improve OHS practice performance through regular training programs and systematic follow-up. In the risk analysis phase of the study, 116 hazard sources were identified in the operating room, 90 in the outpatient clinic and phlebotomy unit, 110 in the labor-delivery-postpartum rooms, and 123 in the inpatient service of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic. While many hazard sources were found to be similar across different sections, some unique risks were also identified. Corrective and preventive actions were proposed based on the analysis results to reduce risk levels to acceptable standards.