Significance of Health, Safety, and Security in the Healthcare Workplace - Coursework Example

The Significance of Health, Safety, and Security in the Health Care Workplace Sheila Bruner of Mary Health care comprises the largest sector of employment in the U.S; it will also account for approximately 19% of all new jobs created between 2004 and 2014. Due to the widely varied nature of their duties and responsibilities, health care workers have the highest incidence of work related injuries and illnesses. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) For this reason, all healthcare companies are mandated to provide employee orientation and training with regard to occupational health, safety, and security. This paper discusses the significance of health, safety, and security in the health care workplace. It identifies the three most common workplace hazards: stress, violence, and bloodborne pathogens. Discussion of recognition and prevention elements includes efforts made by the healthcare industry in identifying and minimizing potential for future occurrences through training employees, more effective security measures, and environmental design. OSHA mandates and, information for protection and prevention of workplace injuries are outlined as well. Also identified are ways both workers and management can contribute to the health, safety, and security of the health care environment. The Significance of Health, Safety, and Security in the Health Care Workplace Introduction Health care comprises the largest sector of employment in the U.S; it will also account for approximately 19% of all new jobs created between 2004 and 2014. Due to the widely varied nature of their duties and responsibilities, health care workers have the highest incidence of work related injuries and illnesses. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) Three Most Common Workplace Hazards Health care workers are exposed to occupational hazards divided into five categories: physical agents, chemical agents, biological agents, environmental-mechanical agents, and psychosocial agents. Most occupational incidences occur in the biological and psychosocial agents’ categories, with physical and psychological stress and related violence playing a major role in employee turnover rates, injuries, quality of care statistics, and patient outcomes. (ILO, 2006). Stress for health care workers is the leading cause of burnout, diagnosis treatment errors, absenteeism, decreased patient satisfaction and negative patient outcomes. Health care workers have much higher rates of substance abuse, suicide, job related anxieties, and depression. The leading causes of these conditions are poor organizational climate, training and career development issues, and financial economic factors. Direct care workers suffer most from work overload, lack of management support, time pressure, understaffing, sleep deprivation, exposure to biological agents, exposure to work related violence or threats, and the psychosocial demands of direct patient care. There is also a high potential for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder associated with direct patient care, particularly for ambulance personnel and ER workers. (CDC, 2008) Health care workplace violence is nearly five times the rate of that in the private sector, with more than ten non-fatal assaults in 10,000 workers. Studies have shown that these occurrences were most likely to occur during times of high activity and patient interaction in psychiatric wards, ER waiting rooms, and geriatric facilities. The workers most targeted included direct patient care staff, health care providers, security personnel, and emergency response workers. Injuries range from minor to death; including serious, temporary and permanent disabilities, and, psychosocial trauma. Overall, workplace violence leads to a hostile working environment, low employee morale, distrust between management and coworkers, high job stress and worker turnover rate. (CDC, 2002) The third major contributor to workplace injuries and illness for health care workers is bloodborne pathogens. Needlestick injuries expose workers to Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and other diseases and infections. These potentially fatal conditions create increased stress, higher insurance premiums, decreased employee productivity, increased absence, and potential for lawsuits associated with certain diseases in the case of needlestick injuries. HCV infection is the most chronic bloodborne pathogen spread through health care related injuries each year. (Goetz, 2008) Hazard Recognition and Prevention Programs Through extensive research into ways to reduce workplace stress, it has been discovered that a combination of stress management intervention aimed at organizational changes as well as worker focused intervention, provided the most success in reducing workplace stress. The organizational approach: 1. Exchange team processes with a multidisciplinary approach to health care teams 2. Create multi-component interventions. The worker focused interventions: 1. Redesign jobs to effectively distribute workloads 2. Provide clearly defined roles and responsibilities 3. Allow workers to participate in decision making 4. Improve communication between management and workers 5. Reduce job anxiety regarding career development and future employment prospects 6. Provide an avenue for social interaction between employees 7. Provide employees with personal stress management techniques training such as: coping strategies, interpersonal skills, cognitive behavioral techniques, time management, progressive relaxation techniques, and biofeedback. Most health care companies now also offer reduced membership at health clubs, and, employee assistance programs, as well as wellness and educational incentives to help offset the negative effects of stress with their employees. (CDC,2008) Prevention of health care workplace violence is aimed at providing safety and health programs that prevent, identify, control, and report potential hazards, as well as employee training and participation with management support. The following recommendations for violence prevention have been submitted by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety: 1. Provide enhanced environmental designs that provide adequate lighting, monitoring, cameras and motion detectors, alarms, security stations and metal detectors at each entrance. 2. Create deep service counters with bullet resistant, shatterproof glass in emergency reception areas and nurses’ stations. 3. Provide Security escorts and adequate lighting for patients, visitors, and personnel going to parking lots after dark. 4. Equip triage areas to have separate staff restrooms and emergency exits. 5. Design waiting areas to accommodate and assist patients and visitors with minimal waiting time using furniture and objects that can’t be used as weapons. 6. Provide continuous and progressive staff training in recognizing, diffusing, and managing crises, as well as communication skills and conflict resolution. (CDC, 2002) Prevention of needlestick injuries is a must required by OSHA standards; more than twenty five states have adopted their own needlestick policies that embody the OSHA standards. These standards require: (1) The use of work practices and engineering to control and minimize exposure to needlesticks (2) An up to date Sharps Injury log kept with outcomes noted (3) A formal exposure control plan in place (4) Employees are required to provide proof of current HVB vaccinations, accept them upon employment, or sign a formal decline for the vaccine. (OSHA, 2002) There is a five-step model that is employed by most facilities; it involves: (1) Form a sharps injury team (usually either infection control or quality control) (2) Identify priorities and protocols for prevention (3) Identify and screen safer devices to minimize potential for needlestick injuries (4) Evaluate safer devices for practicality and safety (5) Institute and Monitor the use of safer devices (Goetz, 2008) OSHA Requirements . While there has been no mandate regarding stress, however, in 29 USC 654 of the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA requires that employers must furnish each employee a place of employment that is free from known hazards which have potential for serious injury or death; employee training programs in health, safety, and security be ongoing. OSHA provides guidelines for reducing and eliminating workplace violence; each incident must be documented and thoroughly investigated, with a violence policy involving management commitment and employee involvement. In Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1030, OSHA outlines requirements for compliance for the prevention of needlestick injuries for health care workers; as well there must be a bloodborne pathogen policy and procedures for handling biological wastes. (OSHA, 2002). Conclusion . Economically, there is more to gain and much less to lose for companies implementing occupational health, safety and security measures. People spend nearly one third of their day in a work environment; it is up to each employee to be proactive and work with management to remain healthy, safe and productive on the job. By attending staff trainings, following policies and procedures for various situations, communicating effectively with coworkers and management, and taking proactive care of oneself, it is possible to have a healthy, safe, and productive environment for employment. References  Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 Edition, Healthcare. 2010 Web. 10 Dec. 2010; http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs035.htm  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to Stress: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 2008, Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-136/pdfs/2008-136.pdf Violence: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 2002. Web 10 Dec. 2010 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/2002-101.pdf Goetz, David. Occupation Safety and Health, 6th Edition Lecture Notes: Bloodborne Pathogens in the Workplace. 2008 Pearson Higher Education. International Labor Organization, Workplace Violence. Health Services. 2006. ILO 1992-2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/sectors/health/violence.htm OSHA. OSHA Fact Sheet: What Are Bloodborne Pathogens. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2002 Web 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_BloodborneFacts/bbfact01.pdf Read More