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Safety Culture in Healthcare Settings						Print
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										Doctors in a meeting at hospitalPhoto by Getty ImagesIntroductionIn 2019, more than 18 million workers were employed in U.S. healthcare sector settings with services provided around the clock. This healthcare industry employs a diverse group of professional, technical, and service workers such as: nurses, physicians, dentists, physical therapists, medical technologists, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, home health care aides, environmental services workers, food service workers, and others. Healthcare workers are at risk for exposure to a wide range of work-related safety and health hazards including lifting and repetitive tasks, slippery or uneven walking surfaces, long hours, changing shifts, violence, stress, and exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous chemicals. Exposure to these hazards can lead to many adverse outcomes, including work-life balance issues, injury, illness, lost work time, disability, and death.
Healthcare workers are at risk for exposure to a wide range of work-related safety and health hazards including lifting and repetitive tasks, slippery or uneven walking surfaces, long hours, changing shifts, violence, stress, and exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous chemicals. Exposure to these hazards can lead to many adverse outcomes, including work-life balance issues, injury, illness, lost work time, disability, and death.
Training and educating healthcare workers and employers about work-related health and safety hazards helps to identify workplace hazards. This facilitates adopting safe and healthy workplace practices. It also promotes a positive safety culture where workers and employers do not tolerate unsafe and unhealthy work practices. Important concepts and key approaches to a safe healthcare environment should be addressed in educational curricula and repeatedly reinforced and emphasized in settings where healthcare is provided. A robust workplace safety culture is an essential component of life-long professional development and welfare at work.Main PageModule 1
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  April 28, 2022						Source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
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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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