Occupational health and safety risks in the healthcare sector

4 Musculoskeletal risksPersonal/individual behaviour measures• How people act and behave in their work environment can greatly affect slips andtrips. It is the employer’s obligation to ensure maximum order at the workplace,to eliminate these causes for accidents at source and to maintain a safe conduct.Information, instruction and supervision can help to reinforce such a safe conduct ofworkers. It is the worker’s responsibility to cooperate with the employer.Where possible, the aim should be to eliminate risk at source (e.g. use of appropriate floor material,levelling uneven floor surfaces). The next preferred option is substitution (e.g. using analternative method of floor cleaning), followed by separation (e.g. using barriers to keep workersaway from wet floors). The next prevention measure is protection (e.g. wearing footwearwith nonslip soles). The final measure is provision of information for the workers. The use ofpersonal protective equipment and provision of information should be a last form of protectionafter all organisational and technical measures have been exhausted.Important to notePut in a management systemPlan:Work with your workers (representative sample of men, women, elder and disabledworkers) and possibly with patients and visitors to identify potential problem areasand set goals for improvement.Train:Give your workers the knowledge to identify and take action over potential risks.Organise:Make workers responsible for specific areas, including cleaning and contract staff, asfar as this is reasonable and legal.Control:Ensure working practices and processes are being carried out properly and keep arecord of all cleaning and maintenance work.Monitor and review:Talk to your workers (representative sample of men, women, older and disabled staff)and possibly to patients and visitors so they can provide feedback on how measuresare working. If necessary take fresh action.163