OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE FOR HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES

 THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE FOR HOSPI TAL EMPLOYEES

 
The administrative requirements for occupational health service for hospital employees are the following:

• An executive committee consisting of
• members of the Hospital Management Committee and co-opted members.
• An advisory committee — consisting of
• medical persons from outside the hospital such as from universities or the National Research Institute for Occupational
• The staff of the occupational health unit —
• staff should include a registered nurse with a  Diploma in Community Health Nursing and an occupational health certificate, an occupational health physician, and a personal clerk/secretary.
• Premises — Suitable, central premises
• should contain offices for the doctor and the sister, examination and treatment rooms, a restroom and toilet facilities as well as a reception area.
• Documentation. Standardized cards
• must be designed for pre-employment and routine medical examinations, sickness, absence, accidents and injuries, records of examinations, and routine investigations.
• A daily record sheet must be available to indicate surgery attendances for occupational and non-occupational treatments. Environmental survey records are also required.

• Rules of procedure —

•  A policy to establish
• The relationship between the occupational health service and medical, nursing, and non-medical staff must be determined in which procedures for dealing with sickness and injuries as well as for communication between persons and departments in the hospital are laid down.
• The department is responsible to the hospital management committee and matters affecting policy are discussed and approved by the medical superintendent, the matron, and the administration manager;
•  The occupational health medical officer and nurse must have access to all departments and should deal with the heads of these departments;
•  All hospital employees must have access to the occupational health department.

Comprehensive Approach for Patient & Worker Safety 

1. Make sure that all relevant workers are trained on using the mechanical lift equipment.
 Caregivers should feel comfortable using the equipment. If the caregiver uses the equipment correctly and efficiently, patients will feel more comfortable too.

2. Refresh, remind, and require ongoing training. 
Programs tend to be less successful over time if they do not receive adequate attention. Including safe patient handling procedures and policies in annual competency, sessions is one way to remind workers of the program's importance and promote equipment proficiency.

3. Consider mentors and peer education campaigns.
In addition to monitoring new employees, nurse managers and other "safety campaigns" can serve as mentors and peer coaches in every unit, reminding their colleagues how and when to use safe patient handling procedures and equipment.

4. Train caregivers to check each patient's mobility every time.
Every patient has unique characteristics and mobility capabilities. It is important to assess these regularly and to communicate each patient's level of mobility and need for assistance to all relevant caregivers.

5. Engage patients and their families.
Patients may not understand the need for mechanical equipment at first. You can engage them in safe handling by explaining to them and their families that it is for their safety as well as the workers' safety. OSHA has developed a patient education poster* that hospitals can use to promote the use of safe patient handling equipment.

 
Risk Assessment

• Risk assessment is the process of evaluation of the risks arising from a hazard, taking into account the adequacy of any existing controls and deciding whether or not the risks are acceptable
• Risk management is an iterative and cyclic process.
• It is important that employers know where the risks are in their organizations and control them to avoid putting at risk employees, customers, and the organization itself. The main goal of risk management is to eliminate or at least reduce the risks according to the ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable) principle.
• A key aspect in risk management is that it should be carried out with an active participation/involvement
• The preparation of the risk management process involves several activities, namely:
• Identification of exposed workers – particular attention should be given to:
• workers with special needs, such as pregnant women, young workers, aging workers, and workers with disabilities;
• maintenance workers, cleaners, contractors, and visitors
• Characterization of tasks, work equipment, materials, and work procedures;
• Identification and characterization of safety measures in use;
• Identification of work accidents and occupational diseases related to the workplace in analysis; and
• Identification of legislation, standards, or company regulations related to the workplace in analysis.

 

Risk Analysis

• The risk analysis activities involve:
• Identification of hazards present in the workplace and work environment;
• Identification of hazards discovered in previous risk management;
• Identification of potential consequences of the recognized hazards – risks, i.e. the potential causes of injury to workers, a work accident, an occupational disease, or a work-related disease.
• Several means can be used to support these activities. For instance:
• Direct observation – walkthrough;
• Interviews with workers and managers;
• Checklists;
• Energy analysis;
• Job safety analysis;
• Previous risk assessment data;
• Employee (satisfaction) surveys.

 
Economic benefit & value of occupational health & Safety

• How can better working conditions be made profitable for business.
• The most common type of economic incentive used in the field of health and safety is the experience rating of insurance premiums.
• The impact of this incentive on occupational health and safety (OHS) costs in the company was analyzed by comparing insurance costs with other OHS costs associated with inadequate working conditions, such as accident costs borne by a company.
• Accident costs were estimated on the basis of research carried out in 10 companies. Insurance costs and their adjustments according to the health and safety level in a company were calculated according to an experience rating model developed in the Central Institute for Labour Protection.
• The costs of occupational injuries and illnesses together with the demonstrated cost-effectiveness of OHS interventions constitute an important incentive for employers to adopt these interventions. 
• They are especially interested in whether an investment in a program is cost-effective (the effects give good value for the money invested) or cost-beneficial (the financial benefits are favorable).