Evaluating the Effect of Occupational Health Education on Workers Knowledge

Abstract

Background: Studies show that about 90% of accidents occur because of unsafe behavior and human errors. Even if workers do not have the right knowledge toward safety measures in a safe workplace, all efforts for an accident-free workplace will be in vain. Maintaining a safe working environment is reflected on a healthy worker. Some reasons for not implementing the safety policy by most developing countries is lack of basic professional training in occupational health and safety. Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the Occupational Health Education Program on the worker's knowledge. Methods: A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used to assess the impact of the Occupational Health Education Program (OHEP) on the worker knowledge. A convenience sample of a total of 38 workers participated in the study, with 20 in the experimental group and 18 in the control group. Results: The findings from the study indicate that OHEP did have significant positive impact on the Jordanian worker's knowledge, but it didn't have comparable impact on the Foreigner worker's knowledge. A comparison of means for the Jordanian experimental group pretest (M =14.25) and posttest (M =18.60) revealed a significant improvement in mean scores (df = 9, Tukey a = 2.98), whereas the control group pretest (M = 14.40) and posttest (M = 14.90) did not statistically significantly (df = 9, t =.64). Findings shows that both the Jordanian and Foreigner experimental and control groups were comparable in relation to their occupational health knowledge before the implementation of the OHEP. Conclusion: The findings support the need for implementation of the OHEP within this population. This study shows that nurses can design, implement and evaluate Health Education Programs for targeted population.