1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality?
My boyfriend works in the hospital. Therefore, there is a biological issues. He could be exposed to all the virus or infectious disease in the hospital just like any other employees who work in the hospital. In particular, he is a surgeon, which also can cause ergonomic issues, from standing long hours. By using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, the firs thing he can do is eliminate the hazard. However, that is not possible because that is what his job to take care patient who has possible infectious disease. Also, he cannot substitute, which is next level of hierarchy. The third level of hierarchy is engineering controls. With this level, he can do some since there are isolation rooms in the hospital for patients who have active infectious disease. However, this cannot always protect him. This is because he has to treat these patients no matter what. Fortunately, he can control with last 2 levels in the hierarchy of controls. There are specific policy in the hospital how the surgeon treat the patients who have active infectious disease. Also, he puts personal protective equipment whenever he needs to. In reality, these are addressed in most time. However, I have seen some employees including doctors in the hospital did not have the right personal protective equipment when they took care particular patients who required.
2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?
The barriers I can think of is money for personal protective equipment. As I mentioned just above, I have seen people who did not wear the personal protective equipment. The reason for that was not only because the employees chose not to wear, but also there were not enough personal protective equipment. There should be enough personal protective equipment in the hospitals, so no employees do not loose chance to protect himself or herself.
Hey Yeana,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some important issues as it relates to occupational safety. Namely, the fact that many employees put themselves at risk, knowingly. I know that I have done this very thing. For instance, when I was a medic I would sometimes not use gloves when handling cavicide, despite the fact that I understood that I was putting myself at risk. As we can see, regardless of the controls put in place to reduce harm, it is also the employees responsibility to be aware of and adhere to the measures in place to reduce the harm which they are at risk of.
Hi Yeana,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You highlighted some of the unique challenges associated with the healthcare industry. Surgeons are at high risk of sharp-sticks due to the nature of surgery and the tools they use. This is one area where significant work could be done to improve occupational health and safety. I have heard of doctors having upwards of 30 pokes from dirty instruments.
Additionally, one of the main barriers with using PPE is time. Often doctors and other healthcare professionals are in a rush and are quickly checking on the patient. They do not want to take the time to properly gown up prior to entering the room. This could be a potential source for nosocomial infection spread. It is necessary to provide ongoing education about how essential PPE is to protect other patients.