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Module 2						Print
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										Health Providers with patient on gurneyPhoto by Getty ImagesWork-Related Risks and Hazards
**Note: *If you must stop before the end of the course, be sure to remember the module number and section where you stop so you do not have to start the course from the beginning when returning.***
**Competency**: Identify common healthcare work-related risks and hazards that can result in worker injury and/or illness.
**Objectives**:
Identify five categories of hazards in the healthcare environment.
Describe healthcare worker exposure hazards.
Describe rationale for hazard assessment.Nonfatal occupational injury and illness rates for healthcare workers are among the highest of any industry sector. Healthcare workers face a wide range of hazards on the job including exposure to infectious biological agents, chemicals such as disinfectants and hazardous drugs, radiation, sharps injuries, repeated handling of patients, heavy lifting, and awkward postures.
Work stress often occurs and includes the harmful physical and emotional responses that happen when the requirements of a job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Work stress can lead to poor mental and physical health and can come from difficult working conditions including heavy workloads, shiftwork, unpredictable schedules, and engagement in emotionally charged situations such as violence, bullying, and incivility.
There are many settings where healthcare workers deliver services including hospitals, nursing and long-term care centers, ambulatory health care clinics, and home health settings. Identifying workplace hazards is a key component of any effective safety and health program and integral to an organization’s positive safety culture. All healthcare workers are at risk of exposure to workplace hazards including, but not limited to, the following occupations:
Nurse aides
Nurses
Physicians
Dentists
Dental assistants/hygienists
Respiratory therapists
Phlebotomists
Laboratory workers
Radiologists
Food service workers
Environmental service workers**Hazard evaluation is based on several factors:**
Type of hazard exposure: Biological, Chemical, Enviromechanical, Physical, and Psychosocial
Likelihood of exposure occurrence
Route of exposure: inhalation, percutaneous, dermal, ingestion
Workers at risk of exposure
Severity of outcome following an exposureModule 1Next
							
					
							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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