Occupational safety of healthcare workers in the terms of the Covid-19 pandemic as the public health aspect.

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To assess the level of occupational safety, health and hygiene of healthcare workers in the terms of the COVID-19 pandemic..

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: bibliosemantic, bibliographic, analytical, statistical methods as well as a systemic approach have been used in the research. The data of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the State Labour Service and the scientific research findings from open sources have been analyzed.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The safety of healthcare workers with regard to infection is essential for a secure hospital environment. From an infection prevention perspective, PPE and sanitary requirements are fundamental to ensuring a safe environment for healthcare workers. The analysis revealed inadequate provision of PPE for healthcare workers during the pandemic, with levels ranging from 61,25% to 63,63%. The risk of contracting the novel coronavirus among healthcare personel during the pandemic was 12 times higher than in the general population. The risk of developing an occupational disease among those who treated patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 was 58,1 times higher. The analysis revealed that the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers during the study period was only two-thirds of the required amount, which consequently elevated the risk and incidence of morbidity among healthcare workers.