Knowledge, attitudes and practices of occupational health and safety measures among nurses at Bolgatanga Regional Hospital of Ghana

Introduction: Occupational health and safety are major concerns for health workers worldwide. Nurses especially those working in resource constrained areas are at risk of occupational hazards. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses in a regional hospital in a resource constrained area towards occupational health and safety. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using questionnaires that were self-administered among nurses in a regional hospital in Ghana. The nurses were recruited from five units in the hospital. The data were analysed using SPSS, where descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results The findings show that the participant had high level of knowledge (91.4%) and positive attitude (80.9%) towards occupational health and safety measures. However, practice was very low with only 30.9% of the nurses demonstrating good occupational health and safety practices. The correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.507, p < 0.01), knowledge and practice (r = 0.433, p < 0.01), and attitude and practice (r = 0.656, p < 0.01). Additionally, a between-subject one-way ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in knowledge [F(3,132) = 4.05, p = .009], attitude [F(3,132) = 7.18, p < .001], and practice [F(3,132) = 3.91, p = .010] based on level of education. However, there was no significant difference in knowledge, attitude, and practice of occupational health and safety measures across other demographic characteristics. Conclusion The study findings indicate high level of knowledge and good attitudes but this did not translate into practices that ensure occupational health and safety. The management of health facilities and health regulatory authorities should institute measures such as refresher training and monitoring systems that will promote occupational health and safety practices.