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Ethical Principles						Print
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										**Autonomy** is defined by the right to self-determination and respects the individual’s right to make informed decisions. Examples include:
Employees viewed as valuable assets and part of the decision-making.
Access to information about toxic exposures and their long-term consequences for safe decision-making.
Complete and full disclosure of work-related harm.
Worker notification, right to know, informed consent regarding health screening and surveillance activities.
Privacy and confidentiality of health records and information.**Nonmaleficence** is often referred to as the “no harm principle” that is inherent in professional standards, licensure, and codes of ethics and with an obligation not to place employees at risk of harm without protection. Examples include:
Avoid placing workers in dangerous working conditions including technology with unknown/uncertain risks.
Do not offer hazard pay for dangerous work which may create bias for doing the work.
Aggressively address bullying, and physical and non-physical violence.
Avoid placing an employee with known health considerations (e.g., pregnant employee, known disability, asthma) into harmful exposure work conditions (Department of Justice. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 amended 2009).
Develop positive leadership and policy practices to prevent unsupportive work organization behavior.
Avoid creating too much stress where workers feel little or no control over the work, and where workers have poor interpersonal relationships with supervisors and co-workers, heavy workloads, long work hours, and poor wages.**Beneficence**relates to mitigating or preventing harm and creating practices and environments that help others achieve their maximum health potential. Examples include:
Team walk-throughs to identify potential hazards and stress drivers and make recommendations for hazard abatement.
Health screenings that may identify early disease or disease interactive agents (e.g., noise exposure and presbycusis or age-related hearing loss).
Health protective programs like immunizations (e.g., influenza vaccine) or a back injury prevention program.
Management and workers’ obligations for an effective safety culture like safety compliance and reporting unsafe practices and non-compliance.**Justice** is directed toward treating employees equally and without discrimination with regards to their health status, gender, ethnicity, social aspects, and the like. Examples include:
Non-punitive environment for incident/error reporting to improve work practice (hiring/firing practices).
Balancing costs and benefits and divided loyalties.
Not singling out workers or work groups to perform unpleasant or hazardous duties.PreviousNext
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  April 28, 2022						Source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
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        Syndicate homeSafety Culture in Healthcare Settings
Training Informationplus icon
Introduction
Module 1: Safety Cultureplus icon
Why a Culture of Safety is Important
The Sociotechnical Model
Definition Examples of Safety Culture and Overlap with Safety Climate
Key Attributes and Joint Benefits of Safety Culture
Common Features of Positive Healthcare Worker Safety Culture
General Measurable Elements of a Safety Culture
Tools to Measure Safety Culture and Climate
A Snapshot of Safety Culture in U.S. Hospitals
References
Quiz 1Module 2: Work-Related Risks and Hazardsplus icon
Biological Hazardsplus icon
Chain of Infection Components
Risk Factors of Biological Agents and Unsafe Practices
Chemical Hazards
Enviromechanical Hazards
Physical Hazards
Psychosocial Hazards
Hazard Assessment/Determination
Case Study
References
Quiz 2Module 3: Prevention and Control of Work-Related Injury and Illnessplus icon
Hierarchy of Controls
Elimination: Physically Remove the Hazard
Substitution and Engineering Controls
Administrative Controls: Change the Way People Work
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Protect the Worker with PPE
Donning and Doffing PPE: Proper Wearing, Removal, and Disposal
References
Quiz 3Module 4: Leadership and Safe Work Environmentsplus icon
Commitment to Workplace Safety as High Priority and Through Role Modeling
Policies and Procedures and Safe Patient Handling
Hazard Analysis and Safe Staffing Workloads
State-of-the-Art Training and Handling Patients
Engage Healthcare Worker Champions and Observe Work
Transparency, Training, and Staff Safety Rounds
References
Quiz 4Module 5: Legal-Ethical Considerations to Promote Safe Working Conditionsplus icon
The Occupational Safety and Health Act and OSHA Standards
OSHA Healthcare Standards
OSHA Hazard Communication Standard and OSHA Guidelines
What Workers Can Do
Ethics and Healthcare Worker Exposure Considerations
Ethical Principles
References
Quiz 5Safety Culture in Healthcare Settings: Resources Follow NIOSH Facebook
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