Employee Attitudes About the Impact of Visitation Dogs on a College Campus

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allison P ; Foreman AM ; Meade BJ ; Poland M ; Wirth, Oliver
• Description:
  Therapy and visitation dogs are becoming more common on college campuses to provide comfort and support to students, but little attention has been given to the concerns of faculty and staff who share space with the dogs in their workplaces. The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of faculty and staff with regard to both the benefits and the hazards (e.g., dander, bites, fleas) and risks associated with the presence of visitation dogs in their workplaces. One hundred and thirty-eight employees who worked in buildings with resident visitation dogs completed an online survey about their perceptions of the hazards and risks of the dogs and the effects of dogs on the wellbeing of both students and employees. In general, employees perceived that the dogs presented minimal risks, and most employees believed that they can reduce stress and provide comfort to students on campus. There were a few employees, however, who reported that the dogs did not improve the work environment and conferred no benefits to the staff or students. The findings of the present survey support the mostly positive attitudes that people have for dogs in the workplace, but they also highlight a potential challenge: accommodating individuals who believe very strongly that dogs do not belong in work environments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Environmental Exposure Hypersensitivity Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Allergens Allergic Reactions Allergies Author Keywords: Animal-assisted Interventions Exposure Levels Hazards Human-animal Interaction Risk Factors Service Dog Therapeutic Agents Therapy Dog Visitation Dog Worker Health Workers Worker Safety

  More +
• ISSN:
  0892-7936
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  35-50
• Volume:
  32
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054540
• Citation:
  Anthrozoos 2019 Jan; 32(1):35-50
• Contact Point Address:
  A.M. Foreman, Associate Service Fellow, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Rd., MS-2027, Morgantown, WV 26050
• Email:
  vpc3@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Anthrozoos: a multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ca44d94a7e4e8b32adb397f799672db66b38c79c61436ac1ab076a4bf4584df2f7d7a0a74f6f307048f2c2929dd92b192bbb374a0829eafe635130ae6e58b360
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217070/cdc_217070_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 371.69 KB ]