Occupational Safety:Generally & in the Medical

FieldPayton Temple

General: What It Means• Occupational safety is used when a business is talking about…• Safety• Health• Welfare

• It only involves employees within that line of work

General: Why It’s Important• On average, people spend about a quarter of their life working• Also up to half of their waking lives is spent working• Even though there have been many improvements in the

workforce, work related deaths, injuries, and illnesses still happen each and every day

• Occupational safety helps provide “cushion” when it comes to dealing with these type of conditions

General: Challenges• With the workplace becoming more diverse it can lead to new

health and safety issues• Ex- demographic changes

• Some workers are more at risk for work-related diseases and injuries• Racial and ethnic minorities• Recent immigrants• Younger and older workers• Workers with genetic susceptibility• Workers with disabilities

General: Challenges Continued• Organization is changing• Work hours are longer• Work weeks are becoming compressed• Job security is reducing• Shift work

• New…• Chemicals• Materials • Processes• Equipment

• The development of “new” is at a fast pace, causing risks

Medical Field: Occupational Safety

• The medical field is the fastest growing workforce in the US

• Therefore, not only is the number of employees growing but the number of workers that are hurt or diseased from the job is growing as well

Medical Field: Hazards• It’s no secret that workers within the medical field face many

serious safety and health hazards• These hazards can happen in a list of different places…• Hospitals• Clinics• Dental offices• Out-patient surgery centers• Birthing centers• Emergency medical care• Home healthcare• Nursing homes

Medical Field: Hazards Continued

• The amount of things that could go wrong for workers within the medical field can be endless

• Some examples include…• Blood borne pathogens• Biological hazards• Chemical or drug exposure• Anesthetic gas exposures• Respiratory hazards• Ergonomic hazards from lifting & repetitive tasks• Workplace violence• Exposure to radioactivity and x-ray• Needle-stick injury•

Medical Field: How Many?• There are more injuries with workers that are in the medical

field than any other workforce• The medical field has one of the highest number of work

related injuries and illnesses• In 2010, there were 653,900 cases of reported injuries or

illnesses• That is 152,000 more than the second highest industry,

manufacturing

Medical Field: Who Can Be Exposed?

• It is not just workers with some type of medical degree or training that are at risk

• Other workers that are tied into the medical field include…• Mechanical maintenance• Medical equipment maintenance• Housekeeping• Food service• Building and grounds maintenance• Laundry• Administrative staff

Work Cited• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Occupational_safety_and_health• http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/

occupational-safety-and-health

• https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthcarefacilities/ • http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/healthcare/