Washington Animal Worker Initiative (WAWHI) Study is a pilot research study that aims to reduce the rate of animal related and needlestick/sharps injuries among animal workers. This study is broken into three main phases:
- Focus groups (Seattle area only): Animal workers including groomers, shelter workers, and kennel staff will participate in group interviews where we will discuss factors that encourage and discourage the use of best practices in clinical practice to prevent physical injury (bites, scratches, etc.) and needlestick injuries. This study is limited to animal workers living in or around the Seattle area. Participants will be required to provide their own transportation to the focus group site.
- Task observation (Seattle metropolitan area only): animal workers will be observed while at work conducting their normal routine for a period of 2 hours. This study is limited to small animal personnel living in or around the Seattle area.
- Online Survey (Washington State): Animal workers across the state will be invited to complete this online survey of common hazards in animal care work. Results from this study will help to determine the prevalence and severity of exposures to physical hazards in the animal care setting. This portion of the study is open to all animal care workers. There are not restrictions for animal focus.