Occupational Health and Safety - Term Paper Example

Occupational Health and Safety Introduction Occupational health and safety is a field that is mainly concerned with the health, safety and welfare of the task force. It seeks to foster a safe working environment for all workers and may extend to protect the employers, family members, customers, co-workers, and other members of the public who are likely to be affected by the workplace environment. This report provides an analysis of the occupational health and safety issues in the hospital setting. A hospital setting and its activities The hospital can be described as a complex structure with a variety of activities and high-level technological applications. It also characterized by an intricate work organization, which presents a fair integration. Some of the activities that take place in hospital care setting include diagnostic services, processing services, operating theatres, record activity, physical laboratories, ambulatories, typography, clerical work, chemical laboratories, biological laboratories, carpentry, mortuary and autopsy rooms, machine shop, pharmacy, clinical wards, sewage and waste management, and electrotechical shop among others (Jeanne, 1998). It is therefore evident that a variety of activities is performed in health care settings, and thus workers in such settings are exposed to numerous types of hazards. Hazards and risk factors in a hospital setting A hazard can be described as the intrinsic ability or property of a specific factor to potentially result into harm, while risk is described as the probability of achieving the potential harm due to exposure to a hazardous factor. Therefore, occupational risk can be defined as any chemical, biological or physical agent available in the workplace, and able to injure the worker. Some of the hazards hospital workers are exposed to include; Biological hazards These are hazards that are caused by communicable agents such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites that can be obtained through contact with infected objects like scalpels, syringes or through close contact with infected patients. Communicable diseases such as cytomegalovirus, Hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome are transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids and blood on chapped, inflamed or broken skin. Other diseases such as Salmonella can be transmitted through contact with the fecal matter. Chicken pox and pulmonary tuberculosis can be contracted through breathing airborne droplets whereas Herpes simplex virus is transmitted through contact with saliva. Chemical hazards Most of the chemicals used in the hospital contain both direct and indirect effects to the human body. In their daily routines, hospital cleaners are exposed to sterilizing and cleaning agents while those working at the mortuary settings are more affected. Laboratory cleaners, on the other hand are exposed to reagents and tissue fixatives, whereas nurses are exposed to solvents, disinfectants and anti-cancer agents. Physicians are also exposed to disinfectants and anti-cancer agents while the operating room staff is exposed to anesthetic agents (Rita et al, 2008). Physical hazards Some of the physical hazards, workers in a hospital are exposed to include ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. The former refers to the type of radiation that is often applied in such diagnostic procedures as X-ray, fluoroscopy and treatments that involve the use of radioactive implantations or injections, while the later applies to radiation from lasers (Katie, 2008). The effects of being exposed to ionizing radiation include adverse effects on reproductive health and genetic damage, and the effect of exposure to non-ionizing radiation includes damage to the skin and eyes. Ergonomic hazards Such hazards include sharp utensils, how material is handled, cluttered hallways and slippery floors. One of the most common injuries related to this hazard include musculoskeletal injury that often affects the lower back region of the body due to lifting and handling heavy objects and patients. Violence Workplace violence is defined as acts of violence such as threats of assault or attack directed toward persons on duty or at the place of work. A research conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health highlights that hospital workers are at a very high probability of being affected by workplace violence. This often takes place during times of interactions and high activity with the patients, especially in the mental wards or stressed patients. Attacks can also happen when patients are denied service or when a patient is involuntarily admitted. Work place violence can result in fear or depression, loss of sleep, stress and in some cases even lead to death. Shift work The normal working routine for the nurses involves shifts, whereby there are those who are allocated duties during the day while others work at night. Such shifts have an impact of disrupting the body’s natural rhythm, which will then lead to problems such as heart diseases, sleeping problems, as well as digestion problems. Noise High levels of noise in hospitals often occur in boiler rooms, kitchen and laundries. Exposure to high levels of noise often leads to permanent hearing loss. Risk prioritization Considering the probability of their occurrence and the impacts caused, the major risk workers in the hospital setting are most susceptible to is the chemical hazards. This type of hazard is likely to happen since health workers relate with drugs in their daily routines. The second type of risk workers are prone are those that result from biological hazards. The workers can get communicable infections because they closely relate with patients. The third types of risk involve those that arise from ergonomic agents while the fourth are those resulting form physical agents. Risks generated from violence and noises follow respectively. The table below displays the risks hospital workers are prone to in order of their occurrence and the potential impacts they cause: Type of hazard Order of occurrence, where 1 represents the most likely risk to occur Chemical hazard 1 Biological hazard 2 Ergonomics 3 Physical 4 Violence 5 Noise 6 Principles of risk assessment Risk assessment is described as a practice of determining the kinds of hazards that exist in a place of work and the possibility or risks which such hazards may cause harm to individuals. It is an aspect of systematic process to health and safety. Risk assessment is a responsibility that is placed to all employers but employees and their representatives must be consulted before the procedure is carried out and their knowledge and understanding of the occupation integrated into the assessments. The workers should also be notified about the outcomes of such assessments. To be apt and ample, risks assessment should look at all features of the job activities, deal with what happens while the staffs are working; consider all those who are prone to the risks, and also consider the work organization. The rationale of risk assessment in any organization is to allow the employer to categorize and rate the preventive and control measures required (Haimes, 2009). Additionally, employers are bound by law to assess the risks in their workplaces. Risk assessment is a vital process as it helps in protecting the employees, the business as well as abiding by the law. The law doesn’t expect employers to get rid of all risk, but they are necessitated to guard workers as far as is ‘reasonably feasible (Ladou, 2006). There are various principles of risk assessment according to Bruce (2011), and they include: Discovering things that may go wrong: This is the main principle of risk assessment and it entails discovering the uncertainties within the organization. This involves exploration of the organization at all levels, stating the influences, factors and results to ensure efficiency of the assessment. Risk analysis: this is the second step of risk assessment and it involves understanding what every uncertainty means. For every item describing a probable predicament, a study of the possibility of that probable predicament must be completed. This also involves rating the risks and their impacts, and deciding on a procedure to alleviate such risks. Risk prioritization: it is hard for an organization to address all risks at the same time, and as a result, such risks are tackled in order of priority. This means that, an organization will deal with the risks that are likely to impact it and its employees most negatively. By doing this, organizations will avoid time consuming and annoying distractions that can effect its working routine. Steps to risk assessment Identification of hazards Considering who may be affected and how Estimating the risks and settling on a precaution Recording the findings and implementing them Reviewing the assessment Control measures To control the risk of being infected with communicable diseases, a document of the Routine Practices should be provided to the hospital workers on how they can protect their health. This document should be easily available to all workers. The management should also ensure availability of protective equipment such as gloves, masks and cleansing agents. The hospital management should also introduce an immunizations program for all its workers where they can be immunized against communicable diseases. The workers on their part should ensure they follow the laid down regulations, wash their hands regularly and should follow the routine practices when administering care to all patents (Paul, 1996). To control the effects of chemical hazards, the hospital staff should work in collaboration with the health and safety committee and identify the potential impacts of the chemical they use while identifying the ways in which such effects could be protected. The hospital management could also eliminate the usage of poisonous chemicals and be substituted with the less poisonous ones if the alternatives exist. A material safety data sheet should also be maintained. The staff is required to read the labels of the chemicals and confirm with the material safety data sheet before using them. To control effects from radioactive agents, the workers should be provided with personal protective equipment such as safety glasses and shield aprons (Roughton, 2002). The management should minimize the time workers should be exposed to radiation and ensure warning signs are displayed where appropriate regarding the adverse effects of exposure to radiation. To control physical injuries such as back pains, the workers should be provided with accessible mechanical lifts and ensure that all workers are trained on proper lift techniques. Regarding the ergonomic hazards, hospital workers should ensure proper use and handling of hospital equipment and tools. The workers should also be allowed to organize and take control of their daily routines. In such a way, they get used to their work and the tools and equipment they use. To control work place violence, the hospital management has to acknowledge that violence is one of the major issues that should be controlled and managed properly since violence is often disregarded. The workers should then work in collaboration with the health and safety committee to ensure possible causes of violence in the hospital are identified in order to come up with effective solutions (Charles, 2009). The staff should also be trained on intervention and diffusing interventions. To protect against the effects of noise, the management should isolate all noisy machines and be placed in areas that workers rarely visit. This can also be controlled by using noise dampeners and ensuring that equipment is maintained in good working condition to prevent the possibility of resulting into noise pollution. Hearing protection could also be provided. Legal requirements relating to risk assessment Employers are required by law to protect the health and safety of their employees and that of themselves. Among other things, they are required to assess the risks concerning the health and safety of the staff while carrying out their duties. Risk assessment should be carried out by trained and competent staff members. This will guarantee efficiency in the process (Pat, 2003). Various regulations are put forth to ensure that, employees abide by these laws. For instance, Regulation 3, of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, necessitates all employers to make appropriate and adequate assessment of the following: • The risks exposed to the safety and health of the workers while carrying out their roles, • The risks to the safety and health of other individuals (not staff members) which may arise as a result of the undertakings of the organization, • Employers should also arrange for the implementation of the safety and health measures that are identified as essential by the risk assessment, • Monitor, review and appoint individuals with adequate skills, knowledge and experience to assist in the implementation process, • Ensure that, employees have sufficient and clear information, training and supervision and making sure that, staffing is based on competency as this will also minimize the likelihood of risk occurrence, • Employers should also work together with other employers from similar organizations in order to share information on the risks that are prone to occur in such organizations and the measures to use to lessen such risks. In our case, such risks may be experienced by nurses, doctors, visitors and other hospital workers. These risks may be as a result of such hazards as, biological, physical, environmental, psychological and chemical. These hazards may in many cases lead to various risks affecting the health and safety of workforce resulting to work inefficiencies. Another regulation is Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 whereby regulation 4 necessitates employers to circumvent manual handling operations in work places that entail risks of injury. In cases where manual handling can’t be circumvented, then an appropriate and ample assessment should be carried out, and suitable steps to mitigate risks of injury initiated. In a hospital, there are activities which involve pushing, pulling, lifting, moving or carrying by hand or applying bodily force which may cause injury to staffs at duty. For this reason, there is need to assess the type of task in question, the load, the environment and the likelihood of injuries. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, regulation 4 covers the provision of suitable protective equipments to workers in circumstances whereby, risks relating to health and safety cannot be regulated sufficiently by other methods. In a hospital environment, such protective equipments may include gloves, face masks, surgical masks that reduces the risks of disease infections or breathing in dangerous chemicals which posses a great threat to their life. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, regulation 5, states that, employers should ensure that equipments are appropriate for the purpose for which they are intended, they should make sure that, they have enough knowledge in relation to risks to safety and health. Regulations 8 and 9 necessitate employers to give sufficient instructions, information, and training to the workers on the appropriate ways to use work equipments. Risks assessments made under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations will assist employers in selecting appropriate work equipments in order to lessen the likelihood of risk to health and safety occurrence (Phil & Ferrett, 2009). In our case, the entire workforce in the hospital including the nurses, doctors, and cleaners should be provided with suitable work equipments and ample training on their usage. Workplace (Health, Welfare and Safety) Regulations covers the general working environment, and in this case, employers have a responsibility of ensuring that, such an environment is good for the workers. Various regulations in this legislation call for employees to provide appropriate and adequate lighting, effective ventilation, enough space, reason able temperature, and appropriate and enough rest facilities. In a hospital, in order to lessen risks and ensure efficiency in work, all these should be provided. A good working environment for instance, sufficient lighting and space will ensure that, surgeons carry their work effectively reducing the risks of infections incase the patient has an infectious disease while good ventilation guarantees sufficient flow of fresh air into the wards or operation rooms. Conclusion Occupational health and safety has an effect on every employee, in all work places, and individuals who have the responsibility of managing health and safety are experiencing increased duties added to their portfolio. One of the most crucial responsibilities is risk minimization through hazard control. In a hospital environment, workers are exposed to variety of risks including biological, physical, environmental, chemical and psychological. In order to mitigate such risks, employers are entitled by the law to carry out risk assessment in their work places. For instance, Regulation 3, of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, necessitates all employers to make appropriate and adequate assessment of the risks exposed to the safety and health of the workers while carrying out their roles. The principles of risks assessment will help such an organization to be prepared in case of an uncertainty, take suit able and adequate measures to deal with the uncertainty therefore, ensuring efficiency in work. References Bruce, T, 2011. Principles of risk assessment, source; http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/108431.aspx. [Accessed 15 March 2011]. Charles, Reese, 2009. Occupational health safety management practical. 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