Awareness and assessment of the Material Safety Data Sheet by dental technicians in Jeju province

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the furnishing rate and dental technicians’ comprehension level on Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) in Jeju province. On-line and off-line questionnaires filled out by 102 dental technicians were acquired and analyzed by frequency analysis, chi-squared test, and one-way ANOVA by SPSS 20.0. On average, respondents rated 3.21±0.87 on a Likert 5-point scale regarding familiarity with hazardous effects of chemicals, 2.54±1.09 to awareness of MSDS, and 2.05±1.09 to familiarity with the contents of MSDS. Regarding availability of MSDS or similar information at workplace, 18.6% responded MSDS were furnished, 5.9% responded similar information sheets were provided, 29.4% responded MSDS or similar information sheets were not furnished, and 46.1% responded that they were not sure. Total of 24.5% responded positive to availability of MSDS or similar information, which was higher than result from a similar study from 2010 but lower than that of the 2016 study. Gender difference in awareness and comprehension level of MSDS were noted. No statistically significant differences were noted between graduates of Jeju and of other regions regarding awareness and comprehension of MSDS. Position at work rather than length of employment affected level of awareness and comprehension of MSDS. Efforts to rouse dental technicians’ interest in chemical safety may enhance workplace health and safety, and there is room for improvement in MSDS provision and education in dental labs of Jeju.