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Ethics and Healthcare Worker Exposure Considerations						Print
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										Compass with the dial pointed to the word ethics.Photo by Getty Images
Ethics is a generic term that covers several different ways of examining, understanding, and applying moral principles that guide behavior and actions to address specific problems or dilemmas.  Ethical principles provide guidance for how people reason, problem-solve, and respond. Codes of ethics from professional societies have existed, in some cases, for over 200 years such as that of the American Medical Association (1794) and nearly 100 years for the American Nurses Association (1926). Once established, healthcare–related societies typically develop a code of ethics or code of conduct for providers to use to guide practice and ethical decision-making (Curtain 2014; Rogers & Schill 2021; Rogers, 2022).
It is important to note that ethical principles and codes of ethics are not legal requirements and are not public policy documents. Basic ethical principles provide guidance for healthcare workers to protect the rights of individuals and support an ethical culture for safety, health, and well-being for all.There are four basic principles (Beauchamp & Childress 2013): autonomy (self-determination in decision-making); nonmaleficence (do no harm); beneficence (do good); and justice (be fair).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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