Gender Differences in the Management of Hazardous Biological Material in Medical Teaching Laboratories

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

College of Health and Medical Technology, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Hazardous waste of medical or research laboratory origin is a potential source of contamination to the environment. Untreated waste could contribute to the prevalence of various antibiotic-resistant human opportunistic pathogens. Efficient and proper handling and disposal of biological and clinical waste increases the biosafety of these facilities and reduce any potential threat to the environment.  The aim of this study was to determine any gender difference in the management of hazardous biological materials among workers in medical teaching laboratories. The study included 75 participants, 56% of whom were females and 44% were males. A questionnaire including 4 sections was distributed among the participants. The results of the study found no gender difference in the participant's knowledge of the international biohazard and safety symbols and compliance with the recommended hazardous waste disposal procedures. In contrast, incident reporting was significantly higher among males (p < 0.05). Extensive training programs and regular review of biosafety policy in teaching medical laboratories are required.

Keywords

Journal of Bioscience and Applied Research
Volume 5, Issue 4
October 2019
Pages 495-500

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