Safety Officer Course: Top 10 Hazards in Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare workers face numerous hazards whilst providing essential services at healthcare facilities. From ergonomic hazards to airborne or bloodborne pathogens to the prevalence of workplace violence, there are various healthcare facility hazards that jeopardise the health and safety of healthcare workers. The best way to create a safe environment for healthcare workers is to have a safety officer present at every healthcare facility to monitor hazards, prevent hazards, and ultimately ensure healthcare worker safety. EMCARE offers a safety officer course that will equip you to prevent and monitor any hazards in healthcare facilities.

Top 10 Safety Hazards in Healthcare Facilities:

From small clinics to large-scale hospitals, healthcare workers are continuously at risk of hazards in healthcare facilities. Understanding the risks that healthcare workers face is critical towards creating safer environments for healthcare workers to perform their essential services. We have highlighted the top 10 hazards that impact the safety of healthcare workers in healthcare facilities.

1) Ergonomic Hazards:

Many healthcare workers are subjected to ergonomic hazards due to the nature of the work that healthcare workers perform. Ergonomic hazards are caused by continuous lifting of patients or medical supplies, standing for extensive periods, eye strain from poor lighting, and repetitive movements. Ergonomic hazards can result in injury or illness, and can therefore impact the quality of the healthcare provided and the safety of the healthcare worker.

Nurses are especially prone to musculoskeletal disorders due to the continuous exposure to ergonomic hazards of lifting, overexertion, and repetitive actions. Musculoskeletal disorders can affect the joints, spine, bones, or muscles, and most have symptoms of stiffness, weakness, pain, inflammation, and decreased range of motion. Musculoskeletal disorders, therefore, impact the ability to perform healthcare work adequately and therefore place the injured healthcare worker at further risk of injury.

2) Airborne Pathogens:

Airborne transmission of infectious diseases from patients to healthcare workers is a safety problem in healthcare facilities. Sneezing, coughing, and even speaking can result in an airborne pathogen spreading into the air of the healthcare facility. Airborne pathogens are especially a hazard in healthcare facilities that do not have adequate ventilation or air-moisture content control. Tuberculosis (TB) is an especially prevalent airborne pathogen risk that healthcare workers face in healthcare facilities in South Africa.

3) Slips, Trips, or Falls:

Healthcare workers are at risk of slipping, tripping, or falling in healthcare facilities, all of which can result in physical injuries. Slips, trips, and falls tend to occur in healthcare facilities during emergencies when healthcare workers are required to act quickly to respond to patients in need. Slips and trips are especially prevalent if healthcare workers are not provided with high-grip shoes or the floors are not kept clear of hazards such as water, chemicals, or objects.

4) Chemical Hazards:

Healthcare facilities house numerous chemicals that can be hazardous to healthcare workers. Common chemical hazards that healthcare workers are exposed to are ethylene oxide, which is found in sterilant products and fumigants, formaldehyde, which is found in disinfectants, and glutaraldehyde, which is used during operations for disinfection or tissue preservation. Extensive exposure, mis-labelling of chemicals, chemical spills, and incorrect storage of chemicals can pose safety hazards for healthcare workers.

5) Workplace Violence:

Workplace violence is a prevalent hazard in healthcare facilities. Healthcare workers are often exposed to verbal abuse and physical violence in healthcare facilities. Distraught family members can become abusive either verbally or physically, a domestic violence case can continue in the healthcare facility, and healthcare colleagues can become abusive under the stress and strain of working in healthcare facilities. Installing safety regulations and preventative steps is critical towards reducing this common hazard faced by healthcare workers in healthcare facilities.

6) Bloodborne Pathogens:

Healthcare workers will naturally be exposed to blood and weeping injuries when working in a healthcare facility. Bloodborne pathogens can become a hazard if a healthcare worker accidentally cuts themselves on a sharp object or experiences a needle stick accident when working with an infected patient. In South Africa, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a prevalent bloodborne pathogen that healthcare workers are at risk of in healthcare facilities.

7) Waste Anaesthetic Gases:

Healthcare facilities can become hazardous to healthcare workers if there are waste anaesthetic gases present in operation rooms. Waste anaesthetic gases refer to the small leaks in a patient’s anaesthetic breathing circuit during the delivery of anaesthetic for an operation. Short-term exposure can cause headaches, irritability, judgement difficulties, coordination difficulties, drowsiness, and nausea, all of which can impact the ability of healthcare workers to perform their work adequately. Long-term exposure can result in sterility, neurological diseases, liver disease, and miscarriages, which severely impact the health and safety of these healthcare workers.

8) Fatigue:

Healthcare workers are constantly at risk of fatigue whilst working in healthcare facilities. Many healthcare facilities in South Africa are understaffed, which results in healthcare workers being required to work longer hours and more shifts. Fatigue is a hazard because it affects the health and safety of healthcare workers in numerous ways.

Fatigue is the experience of decreased energy levels and mental weariness. It can result in healthcare workers experiencing more accidents or injuries, such as cutting themselves by mistake or pricking themselves on a needle. Fatigue also weakens the immune system, leaving healthcare workers more susceptible to infectious diseases. Fatigue can also have psychological effects, such as increased stress and irritability. Fatigue is, therefore, a hazard that needs to be prevented to protect healthcare workers in healthcare facilities.

9) Fires:

Healthcare facilities are at risk of a fire emergency which can endanger both the healthcare workers and the patients on the premises. Fires in healthcare facilities are often caused by electrical malfunctions, overheating machinery, and cooking accidents. Due to the high quantity of flammable materials and chemicals in healthcare facilities, fires usually spread quickly and become uncontrollable. During a fire, healthcare workers and patients are at risk of burns, smoke inhalation, asphyxiation, injuries or crushing due to the collapsed building, and death.

10) Latex Allergies:

Healthcare workers are at an increased risk of developing latex allergies. For health and safety, healthcare facilities require healthcare workers to wear latex gloves for protection against injections or illness. Other medical products also include latex, ranging from bandages to syringes to intravenous tubing. Healthcare workers are therefore continuously exposed to latex in healthcare facilities.

Latex allergies are only caused by natural rubber latex, which comes from the sap of the rubber tree. Over extensive exposure to natural rubber latex, an allergy can develop. A latex allergy symptoms can range from minor, such as itching or a runny nose, to problematic asthmatic symptoms of a tight chest and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, a latex allergy can cause anaphylaxis in the healthcare worker.

Controlling Hazards in Healthcare Facilities:

One of the best hazard preventative measures that healthcare facilities can take is to have a professionally trained safety officer present. A safety officer is responsible for the health and safety of all the healthcare workers in healthcare facilities. Not only does a safety officer increase the safety of healthcare workers, but patients are also safer and healthcare facility resources are preserved due to reduced accidents or incidents. We have listed the main responsibilities of safety officers to demonstrate how a safety officer will control, prevent, and handle any potential risks or hazards in healthcare facilities.

1. Recognise Hazards: A safety officer is responsible for recognising all potential hazards present in a workplace. A safety officer will perform an in-depth analysis of the healthcare facility and record and report these safety hazards.
2. Reduce Hazards: Once a safety officer has acknowledged all the potential hazards in a workplace, the safety officer will compile safety measures and regulations to reduce the risk of these hazards. In a healthcare facility, these measures will then be implemented to increase the safety of healthcare workers and patients.
3. Enforce Safety Measures: Safety officers are in an authoritative position, which provides them with the ability to enforce all safety measures that they have instituted in the workplace. In a healthcare facility, this can range from ensuring that all healthcare workers wear the correct personal protective equipment to preventing unsafe actions in an emergency.
4. Ensure Safety Compliance: The safety officer will ensure that the workplace is in line with safety regulations as stipulated by South African regulatory standards. A safety officer in a healthcare facility is an asset as the safety officer will prevent any fines or corrective actions from being taken against the healthcare facility due to non-compliance with regulations.
5. Investigate Incidents or Accidents: If an incident or accident occurs in a workplace, the safety officer will investigate, document, and report the incident. The safety measures that are in place will then be corrected to ensure this incident or accident is not a future hazard for healthcare workers at healthcare facilities.
6. Prepare Emergency Plan: Every workplace needs an emergency plan in place. Safety officers will assist healthcare facilities by creating a specific emergency plan for the healthcare facility and ensuring that all healthcare workers understand the emergency plan.

EMCARE Safety Officer Course:

EMCARE is a health and safety training facility that offers a high-quality safety officer course for anyone interested in becoming a professional safety officer in a workplace. Our safety officer course will equip you with practical and theoretical training that will assist you in ensuring health and safety in healthcare facilities. We are passionate about health and safety and thus we are eager to assist you in becoming a professional safety officer to protect the safety of healthcare workers.

Our safety officer course is a thorough two-week course that covers all the essential skills and knowledge around becoming a safety officer in South Africa. Our comprehensive safety officer course covers the basic principles of being a safety officer, South African legislation, occupational health, risk assessment, contractor safety management, accident incident investigation, environmental management, technical safety, and management systems. After completing this safety officer course, you will be fully prepared to ensure health and safety for healthcare workers in healthcare facilities.

Our safety officer course is offered at all of the EMCARE branches across South Africa, ensuring that no matter your location, you have access to the exceptional EMCARE safety officer training. Our branches are fully equipped to provide you with quality training and practical experience in your safety office training. Our facilitators are trained and experienced to ensure you receive the best safety officer course so that when you enter a healthcare facility, you can recognise and prevent safety hazards for healthcare workers.

If you are interested in the EMCARE safety officer course to become a safety officer at a healthcare facility, you are invited to get in contact with us. One of the friendly EMCARE team will begin the process of enrolling you in your safety officer course. Take the step towards becoming a professional asset for health and safety in healthcare facilities with the EMCARE safety officer course.

Become a safety officer to reduce the hazards at healthcare facilities by enrolling in the safety officer course at EMCARE.