Abstract

Objective: According to the characteristics of the tasks in hospitals -cleaning works, laboratory services, polyclinic services- chemicals with high evaporation potential at room temperature and that named volatile organic compounds are used. Healthcare workers are defined as one of the worker groups that are most exposed to chemical risks in the literature. To protect the health of healthcare workers, it is necessary to evaluate the chemical risks in terms of possible negative health and safety effects for health workers and to measure their levels.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the measurement of chemical risks in hospitals will be discussed over two years of data from an accredited occupational hygiene laboratory to measure chemical risks.

Results: To 2.328 occupational hygiene measurements performed in 26 hospitals, 341 (14.6%) were related to chemical risks. Of the chemical risk measurement results, 19 (5.5%) exceeded the permissible limit value. Although different occupational risks were measured in 4 hospitals, chemical risks were not measured.

Conclusion: Although the activities and legal legislation offered through risk assessment in our country are sufficient in terms of quality, there are situations that need to be improved in quantity. It has been observed that national standards on the measurement of chemical risks do not adequately define the parameters to be measured, where and how they will be measured.