Health Care Workplace Safety: How Safe Do You Feel?

Safety is something we consistently take into consideration in our on a regular basis lives. When crossing the road, we glance each ways, when moving into a automotive, we wear seat belts, and when doing outdoor activities, comparable to cycling, skateboarding or skiing, we wear helmets. For many, safety at work is just not a primary concern. However, as healthcare employees, we’re exposed to many dangers day by day. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the hospital is one of the dangerous places to work.¹ Healthcare employees experience a few of the highest rates of non-fatal illness and injury – surpassing each the development and manufacturing industries.² In 2011, U.S. hospitals recorded 253,700 work-related injuries and illnesses, representing a work-related injury rate of 6.8 per 100 full-time employees.¹

At work, I commonly lift, rotate, and move patients with limited mobility, strength, and balance. I often encounter confused and rowdy patients who pose an enormous risk to themselves and clinical staff. The threat of needle sticks and possible exposure to infectious diseases are two dangers which might be consistently on my mind. In nursing school, we were taught basic ergonomic techniques to guard our backs. We were instructed on procedures to forestall unintentional exposure to bloodborne pathogens. However, within the fast-paced world of healthcare where patient volumes are high, a lot of these safety strategies are abandoned. By their nature, nurses often risk their very own health and safety for the sake of the patient.³ So how do we actually feel protected at work, and what are hospital administrators doing to guard their employees?

In 1979, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which created OSHA. OSHA is the federal government body liable for ensuring that employees have a protected and healthy work environment by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education and assistance.³ I do not forget that once I began working within the intensive care unit a few years ago, I had to finish my first annual competency checklist, which included mandatory lectures developed by OSHA. Topics included bloodborne pathogens, fire hazards, fall prevention and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These topics have now expanded to incorporate latex allergy, equipment hazards, workplace violence and workplace stress.⁴ These topics are only a subset of hospital-wide OSHA standards that cover every department, from nutrition to central supply to housekeeping.

One area of ​​hospital workplace safety that has received a whole lot of media attention in recent times is the use of non-public protective equipment (PPE). This issue was highlighted within the news when the primary laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola was diagnosed within the United States in September 2014.⁵ The controversy surrounding this story began when a person who had arrived from Liberia initially without symptoms walked right into a Texas emergency room complaining of fever and other flu-like symptoms. After being discharged from the hospital, he was readmitted a couple of days later and diagnosed with Ebola. Personal protective equipment was provided to staff assigned to the infected patient. However, despite these safeguards, two clinicians were exposed and ultimately contracted the deadly virus. Fortunately, each nurses survived, however the hospital directors pointed fingers at them, blaming them for his or her failure to properly educate and ensure the security of their staff. Were they at fault or were they simply unprepared and had minimal resources to take care of this seemingly rare occurrence?

Ebola is an extreme example that highlighted the importance of hospital workplace safety and compelled hospital administrators across the country to judge current policies and procedures. All employees, no matter industry, have the correct to a protected working environment. Have you noticed any areas in your hospital where improvements could possibly be made to extend overall safety? Do you’ve a suggestion or success story to share? We’d love to listen to your opinion – leave a comment below.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Employee Safety in Hospitals
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Hospital eTools
Improving patient and worker safety: opportunities for synergy, collaboration and innovation

1. United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016) Worker safety in hospitals: caring for our caregivers. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hospitals/index.html

2. Joint Commission: Improving patient and worker safety. Retrieved from: http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/tjc-improvingcientandworkersafety-monograph.pdf

3. United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016) About OSHA. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/about.html

4. United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016) Hospital e-tools: Intensive care units. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/icu/icu.html

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). Ebola virus cases diagnosed within the United States. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/united-states-imported-case.html