Workplace hazards in forensic mortuaries in Saudi Arabia: A survey of forensic mortuary personnel.

Autor: Madadin M; Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia., M Alkhattaf I; College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia., H Abutaki F; College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia., A Almarzooq M; College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia., A Alzahrani F; College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia., Al-Saif DM; Forensic Medicine Centre - Ministry of Health, Dammam, Saudi Arabia., Kharoshah MA; Forensic Medicine Centre - Ministry of Health, Dammam, Saudi Arabia., Alqurashi HM; Forensic Medicine Centre - Ministry of Health, Makkah, Saudi Arabia., Menezes RG; Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Medicine, science, and the law [Med Sci Law] 2022 Jan; Vol. 62 (1), pp. 24-30. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 05.
DOI: 10.1177/00258024211019604
Abstrakt: Forensic mortuaries have always presented a potential threat to workers who come into contact with dead bodies. This research aims to identify hazards faced by forensic mortuary personnel, including forensic pathologists and technicians working in forensic mortuaries in forensic medicine centres throughout Saudi Arabia, to recognise the prevalence of exposure to workplace hazards and to discover the degree of awareness and use of safety practices. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 20 forensic medicine centres, using an online questionnaire distributed among forensic mortuary personnel. A total of 113 participants responded to the questionnaire. Just over half (53%) of workplaces always provided personal protective equipment, and 75% of participants always used them. The most common hazards were needle-prick wounds and accidental slips or falls. Almost two thirds (64%) of participants witnessed or experienced a work-related accident in the forensic mortuary. The lack of previous studies concerning hazard exposure among forensic mortuary personnel in Saudi Arabia means that this study provides foundational evidence for future research concerning forensic autopsy-related work accidents in Saudi Arabia.
Databáze: MEDLINE