Workplace Safety PDF - Gulf Medical University

Workplace safety Heath care providers Dr Renukadevi Mahadevan November 13, 2024 www.gmu.ac.ae College of Health Sciences Objective At the end of the session, you will understand The importance...

Workplace safety Heath care providers Dr Renukadevi Mahadevan November 13, 2024 www.gmu.ac.ae College of Health Sciences Objective At the end of the session, you will understand The importance of ensuring a safe healthcare workplace for healthcare professionals and to guarantee patient safety. With the ever-evolving challenges faced by healthcare workers, it becomes imperative to prioritize safety measures and create an environment that fosters secure and efficient care delivery. Creating a culture of safety in the healthcare workplace is essential for maintaining the well-being and security of employees, and it can be achieved through various measures and practices. Infection The most common occupational infections of concern in the health sector are tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, HIV/AIDS and respiratory infections (coronaviruses, influenza). Needlestick injuries contribute to 39%, 37% and 4.4% of hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV infections respectively. The prevalence of acute hepatitis B infection among health workers globally is 5.3% About 54% of health workers in low- and middle-income countries have latent TB infection Infection Prevention Adhere to strict infection prevention and control measures Observe standard precautions for infection control - hand washing, respiratory hygiene, safe collection and disposal of health-care waste, environmental hygiene and use of personal protective equipment Provide immunization at no cost to health workers. WHO recommendations on health workers’ vaccinations include Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), hepatitis B, polio, pertussis, diphtheria, measles, rubella, meningococcal, influenza, varicella, COVID-19 and cholera Ensure adequate ventilation in all indoor health-care settings Patient handling Up to 72% of nurses are suffering from non-specific chronic low back pain. Low back pain is associated with health workers’ absenteeism, reduced efficiency, increased economic burden, decreased quality of life, and burnout. Preventive measures Identify and assess occupational hazards related to patient handling Plan tasks carefully to reduce ergonomic stress and strains Use lifting aids and mechanical devices for patient handling to prevent unnecessary lifting In absence of lifting aids, ensure that at least two workers lift the patient Provide training on safe patient handling Adjust the layout of working areas to ensure enough space for safe transfers Install steps or ramps at the rear of the ambulance for easy transportation  Chemical hazards Disinfectants, cleaning products, sterilants, anaesthetic gases, mercury, hazardous drugs and pesticides used in health-care settings may be harmful to health workers. Cleaning agents and disinfectants have been associated with a 67% increased risk of new-onset asthma in nurses Bleach and glutaraldehydes have been associated with double the risk of asthma in nurses Chemical hazards Preventive measures Eliminate unnecessary chemicals or substitute with equally effective and less toxic chemicals Ensure adequate ventilation and use of closed systems when handling chemicals Provide medical surveillance and regular training for workers handling chemicals Apply safe work procedures for handling, storage, transportation and disposal of all chemicals according to the recommendations of the manufacturer Provide facilities for personal hygiene including washing and changing clothes Ensure safe disposal of empty or nearly empty pesticides containers Organize first aid and emergency care procedures in case of accidental exposures Provide and ensure usage of appropriate well fitted personal protective equipment  Radiation Exposure to ionizing radiation may cause skin and blood damage, cataract, infertility, birth defects and cancer. The probability of radiation adverse health effects is proportional to the dose received, but no level of radiation exposure is completely safe. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause skin cancer, skin burn and cataract, while lasers can cause tissue burns, eye damage, fire and explosion and system failures. Radiation Preventive measures Use radiation only to cases where the benefits outweigh the risks Put in place shielding, protective barriers, safety interlocks, warning signs and signals Restrict access to areas where radiation is used to authorized persons only Organize regular inspection of medical radiation devices by the competent authority Monitor exposure and organize medical surveillance of exposed workers Encourage female workers to report if they become pregnant and reallocate them to tasks without radiation exposure Provide workers with adequate personal protective equipment including protective clothing, respiratory protective equipment, protective aprons, gloves and organ shields  Mental health Intrinsic demands of the job, individual susceptibility, and poor work organization contributes to increased stress in health workers. Prolonged job stress may cause burnout, chronic fatigue, absenteeism, high staff turnover, reduced patient satisfaction, and increased diagnosis and treatment errors. Prevention Implement organizational interventions To address psychosocial risk factors e.g., through workload reductions, schedule changes, improved communication, and teamwork, to reduce emotional distress and improve work related outcomes. To provide reasonable work accommodations for workers with mental health conditions. Mental health Train: Managers to support mental health of health and emergency workers. Organize work to reduce job strain by optimizing workload and working time, ensuring safe staffing levels, encouraging regular breaks and having flexible schedules Optimize shift lengths to avoid fatigue, giving preference to shift rotation in a forward direction Provide accommodation for health workers during emergency operations with access to food services, sanitary facilities and recreational opportunities Violence Violence and harassment affect all health worker groups and work settings in the health sector. Up to 62% of health workers have experienced workplace violence. Verbal abuse (58%) is the most common form of non- physical violence, followed by threats (33%) and sexual harassment (12%). Violence Preventive measures Recognize violent incidents and identify risks of violence Take measures to improve work organization Ensure optimal staffing levels, working time, supportive work teams and improved working conditions prevent staff from working alone and minimize patient waiting time provide timely information to patients and family to reduce stress alert security personnel if violence is threatened good lighting, security cameras, alarms and panic buttons, emergency signalling security escorts to the parking lots at night lock drugs and valuables Violence Preventive measures Prepare and support workers train workers in conflict resolution and managing assaults provide counselling to recognize the danger of violent behaviour and assistance to change the conduct/attitude maintain physical fitness and emotionally stable psychical conditions Respond quickly and appropriately to incidents if they occur Encourage reporting, recording and monitoring of all incidents Ensure a confidential complaint or grievance procedure Monitor violence trends and the effectiveness of preventive measures  Environmental stress Noise exposure above 85 dB(A) may cause temporary and permanent hearing damage, while lower noise levels may cause annoyance, lack of sleep, and increased stress. Heat stress can arise from pronged work in full personal protective equipment (coveralls, gowns, hoods, googles, boots, respirators). Working outdoors in situations of extreme cold or heat can cause serious health damage. Poor lighting in work areas can cause injuries, eye strain and loss of vision. Environmental stress Prevention Keep noise levels in working areas as low as possible Noise exposure in health-care settings should not exceed 35 dB in most rooms in which patients are being treated or observed Inadequate lighting Make better use of daylight and keep windows clean Choose light coloured matte paint which diffuses light and reduces glare Provide sufficient general and local artificial lighting without glare and maintain light sources in good condition Workplace hazards Wet floors, spills, and clutter may cause slips, trips and falls. Poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate operator training and lack of safety restraint contribute to ambulance crashes. Unsafe electric work practices may cause electric shock, electrocutions, fire and explosions. Workplace hazards Preventive measures Slips, trips and falls Ensure access to and use of slip resistant shoes Install slip-resistant flooring and increase floor cleaning frequency Eliminate tripping hazards in work areas. Ensure safe railings for stairs and heights. Support older workers to participate in falls prevention activities. Electrical injuries Train workers on safe use of electrical equipment Ensure availability of enough sockets to avoid overloading socket outlets Remove trailing cables that may cause trips or falls  Hygiene – Water, sanitation and hygiene One third of health facilities do not have what is needed to clean hands where care is provided. About 800 million people use health facilities with no toilets. One in four health facilities have no water services Hygiene Prevention Ensure availability of safe and adequate supply of water for medical activities, drinking, personal hygiene, food preparation, laundry, and cleaning Provide toilets for patients, staff and carers Ensure safe disposal of health-care waste using environmentally friendly technologies Keep laundry and surfaces in the health-care environment clean Store and prepare food in a way that minimizes the risk of disease transmission Design, construct, and manage buildings to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for patients, staff and carers Protect patients, staff and carers from vector borne diseases Encourage correct use of water, sanitation and waste facilities Ensure adequate ventilation to prevent airborne infections THANK YOU