Occupational health and safety risks in the healthcare sector

2 How to carry out a risk assessment81ENAccording to the information provided by EU-OSHA, employers can take theappropriate action for the risk assessment following the five steps below.Step 1 — Identifying hazards and those at riskStep 2 — Evaluating and prioritising risksStep 3 — Deciding on preventive action — T-O-PStep 4 — Taking actionStep 5 — Documentation, monitoring and reviewISSN 1681-2123E u r o p e a n A g e n c y f o r S a f e t y a n d H e a l t h a t W o r kRisk assessment — the key to healthy workplacesWhy carry out a riskHow to assess the risks?assessment?For most businesses, a straightforward five-step ( 4 ) approach toEvery few minutesrisk assessment should work well. However, there are othersomebody in the EUmethods that work equally well, particularly for more complexdies from work-relatedrisks and circumstances.causes. Furthermore,every year hundreds ofThe five-step approach to risk assessmentthousands of employeesare injured at work;Step 1. Identifying hazards and those at riskothers take sicknessleave to deal with stress,Remember: a hazard can be anything —work overload, musculoskeletaldisorders orwork methods or practices —whether work materials, equipment,other illnesses related tothat has the potential to cause harm.the workplace. And, aswell as the human costHere are some tips to help identify the hazards that matter:for workers and their■ walk around the workplace and looking at what could causefamilies of accidents andharm;illnesses, they also■ consult workers and/or their representatives about problemsstretch the resources of healthcare systems and affect businessthey have encountered;productivity.■ consider long-term hazards to health, such as high levels ofRisk assessment is the basis for successful safety and health management, noise or exposure to harmful substances, as well as moreand the key to reducing work-related accidents and occupational complex or less obvious risks such as psychosocial or workdiseases. If it is implemented well, it can improve workplace safety and organisational risk factors;■ health — and business performance in general.look at company accident and ill-health records;■ seek information from other sources such as:— manufacturers’ and suppliers’ instruction manuals or dataWhat is risk assessment?sheets;Risk assessment is the process of evaluating risks to workers’ safety — occupational safety and health websites;and health from workplace hazards. It is a systematic examination — national bodies, trade associations or trade unions;of all aspects of work that considers:— legal regulations and technical standards.■ what could cause injury or harm,For each hazard it is important to be clear about who could be■ whether the hazards could be eliminated and, if not,harmed; it will help in identifying the best way of managing the■ what preventive or protective measures are, or should be, in risk. This doesn’t mean listing everyone by name, but identifyingplace to control the risks ( 1 ).groups of people such as ‘people working in the storeroom’ or‘passers-by’. Cleaners, contractors and members of the public mayEmployers have a general duty to ensure the safety and health ofalso be at risk.workers in every aspect related to work and to carry out a riskassessment. The EU framework directive ( 2 ) highlights the key role Particular attention should be paid to gender issues ( 5 ) and toplayed by risk assessment and sets out basic provisions that must groups of workers who may be at increased risk or have particularbe followed by every employer. Member States, however, have the requirements (see box). In each case, it is important to identifyright to enact more stringent provisions to protect their workers how they might be harmed, i.e. what type of injury or ill health(please check the specific legislation of your country) ( 3 ).may occur.( 1 ) Guidance on risk assessment at work, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1996.( 2 ) Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.( 3 ) Ireland: www.hsa.ie; Malta: www.ohsa.org.mt; United Kingdom: www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm( 4 ) Whether the risk assessment process in your country is divided into more or fewer steps, or even if some of the five steps are different, the guiding principles shouldbe the same.( 5 ) Factsheet 43, including gender issues in risk assessment: http://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheetsStep 1 — Identifying hazards and those at riskAs mentioned above, the basis for the risk assessment is the tasks which are performedin the different working areas. Documents regarding dangerous substances, the dutyroster, job profiles, working appliances and so forth provide a first impression aboutpotential risks and hazards connected to the tasks. Besides these documents, the mostimportant information can be provided by the workers. Ask your employees abouttheir health and safety at work and visit their workplace to get a first hand impressionof their working conditions. Ask them what can be improved for a better, safer andhealthier work organisation.HEALTHY WORKPLACES GOOD FOR YOU. GOOD FOR BUSINESS.http://hw.osha.europa.eu04 The five steps of a riskassessment are describedin EU-OSHA’sFactsheet 81.Well-known occupational risks and hazards in the healthcare sector include biological, musculoskeletal,psychosocial and chemical risks. Specific risks that should be addressed are, for example:Important to note• the handling of blood and blood products, including the handling of needles and othersharp objects;• exposure to chemical agents/hazardous substances, including cleaning agents and disinfectants;• time pressure, high workload and interpersonal conflicts;• bullying or violence at the workplace;• shift, weekend and night work;• manual patient handling, lifting, pushing and pulling of weights;• the ergonomic design of workplaces.Tools and instruments for the risk assessmentChecklists, screening instruments or other tools and recommendations provided bydifferent associations and liability insurances can be used to get an overall impressionof potential risks and hazards. For example, psychosocial risks at work can be analysedwith a mental workload screening. However, the use of a checklist or screening canonly be a part of analysing the hazards and risks at work. It should not be used exclusively:always use other sources of information as well.Step 2 — Evaluating and prioritising risksNot all of the identified risks and hazards will have the same importance nor can theyall be addressed at the same time. It is recommended to prioritise within the risks andhazards and to agree which ones should be tackled first. Improving the working conditionsshould be seen as a continuous improvement process of your facility, whichstarts with more urgent risks and hazards and continuously moves on to other relatedtopics to establish a safe, healthy and productive work environment.29