author(s)
Dr. Tamilarasi B, Nivedha C, Muthumariammal S and Yuvasri K

abstract
Sanitary workers play a critical role in maintaining hygiene and preventing infections in healthcare settings, yet they are often exposed to various occupational hazards, including biological, chemical, physical, and psychosocial risks, with limited awareness and inadequate safety practices. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led intervention on awareness and practice regarding occupational hazards among sanitary workers at selected hospital. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was adopted, involving 60 sanitary workers selected through simple random sampling and divided equally into experimental (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. The experimental group received a nurse-led intervention comprising one-hour daily sessions for one week, using PowerPoint presentations and videos. Awareness was assessed using a self-administered awareness questionnaires and practice was evaluated with a self-structured practice checklist. The findings revealed that in the experimental group, the mean awareness score increased from 6.3 ± 2.4 to 10.3 ± 2.6 (t = 14.13, p < 0.001), and the mean practice score improved from 5.7 ± 1.6 to 11.3 ± 2.0 (t = 17.3, p < 0.001), indicating statistically significant improvement, while the control group showed no significant changes. Post-test awareness was significantly associated with area of work and education level. The study concludes that nurse-led interventions are effective in enhancing awareness and improving practice regarding occupational hazards among sanitary workers, emphasizing the need for structured training programs to reduce occupational risks and promote workplace safety across all worker categories.