Archives

Page No. : 89-97

ABSTRACT

Laboratory hazards and work environment among research students in academic veterinary institutions was evaluated with the help of a questionnaire survey. The pre-tested questionnaire was mailed to 125 postgraduate students in various veterinary colleges, of which 75 responded (63% response rate). Of the total respondents, nearly three-fourths were male, majority were of 24-26 years old, pursuing M.V.Sc (57.33%) and Ph.D (42.67%) with one-year research experience (50.67%). Majority of the respondents used hazardous chemicals and zoonotic biological organisms while handling lab animals. More than half of the respondents had not received any prophylactic vaccine. Physical injuries reported by them were scratch, instrument injury, kick, needle puncture and bite from animals affecting fingers, legs, eyes, foot and shoulder. Forty per cent of the respondents used hand gloves and 24% used facemask as protective equipments. However, about 90% of the respondents had not acquired any type of disease during their research period, lack of bio-safety cabinets, lack of animal models and inadequate protective equipments were the foremost constraints faced by respondents.

Key words: Environment, laboratory hazards, students, veterinary research