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Healthcare Workers: Are They At Risk?

18th May, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Although the rehabilitation work environment and other healthcare settings may appear clean and orderly, they actually expose workers to many hazards such as life threatening infections including HIV and hepatitis. Workers also may be repeatedly exposed to hazardous chemicals, such as cleaning agents, cancer drugs, and other toxic substances. Workers are more often than not exposed to various diseases, since they are tasked to do demanding things, like patient lifting, wherein they may have latex allergies, or other problems.

The healthcare social assistance, compared to other industrial sectors, takes in the most number of non-fatal illnesses and injuries in the United States. The Labor Statistics Bureau. Instead of tending to the sick people who need medical attention, these hazards only endanger their health. When exposed to airborne or spilled chemicals and drugs, both patient and workers are put at risk, and even when a violent emergency visit takes place in the emergency room. Medical errors sometimes occur due to stress and illness in the doctor or worker’s part. Obtain further advice on online education by checking out cert 4 ohs.

Fortunately, evidence based strategies are available to protect workers and patients from many of these hazards. These strategies will help to improve the safety and stability of the patients, workers, and family members that enter the workplace. Consequently, safety programs should not discriminate between patients and workers. Rather, programs should promote comprehensive systems of safety and cultures of safety that address all known hazards and receive support from all levels of HCSA organizations.

The HCSA will stop at nothing to spread the word about the comprehensive strategies to promote the safety and health in all medical facilities. The patient requires more medical attention, and thus, is more important than the workers themselves: This plays a hindrance to the HCSA cause. Since the patients and the workers are all in the same workplace or setting, it would be easy to accomplish the goals to keep them safe and healthy, with a more comprehensive method.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will give you additional information about this. Working in a medical facility causes health hazards and illnesses, and this was why the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 were used to establish the NOISH. To enforce the recommendations, the same Act was used to establish the Occupational Safety & Health Administration or OSHA. Thanks for reading our article about online education and you can read more at cert IV ohs.

The NOISH website offers information to help shed light on these strategies, to prevent the workplace hazards. Healthcare workers and organizations will benefit most from the topic pages. New documents and resources are always available because the site is updated frequently. Get some information and strategies from the website to protect your workers from the mentioned hazards in a healthcare environment.

Healthcare workers, patients, healthcare organizations, and society all benefit from improved worker safety and health. According to OSHA’s report, the ROI for all professional organizations and companies that have used these practices increased up to $3 and $6 per $1 venture. This is in addition to benefits such as reduced workplace injuries and illnesses, improved employee morale, and a more positive public image as a safety and health leader.