What is hospital ?

A Health care institution providing treatment for "Sick and injured" people.

A health and safety policy is a document outlining an organization’s commitment

to managing health and safety in the workplace. It should be completed by a
competent person, usually the individual responsible for health and safety on
site, with buy-in from all stakeholders who have significant roles and
responsibilities in the company.

Unknown Facts:
They work 24/7 i.e. 365 Days a year. Even on all holidays they function without
any delay.
Occupational Hazards Involved in hospitals
.Accidents which are possible.

The policy typically consists of three sections:

objectives, procedures, and monitoring and review.
.
The objectives section outlines what the organization aims to achieve in terms of
health and safety management, such as minimizing risks or providing safe working
conditions.
The procedures section describes how these objectives will be achieved. This could
include things like risk assessments or training sessions.
Finally, the monitoring and review section sets out how often the policy should be
reviewed (usually annually) and who is responsible for doing so.

hospital prioritizes the safety and well-being of all patients, staff, visitors, and
volunteers. This policy outlines a comprehensive approach to ensure a secure
environment, focusing on patient-centered care and risk mitigation strategies.

II. Core Values

1: Patient Safety First.
2: Staff safety.
3: Open Communication.
4: Continuous Improvement.
A. Patient Safety

Emergency Preparedness: These policies outline protocols for responding to

emergencies such as fires, natural disasters, and power outages.
Visitor Policies: These policies define guidelines for who can visit patients, visiting
hours, and visitor conduct within the hospital.
Security: These policies address security measures for protecting patients, staff and
property
Staff Conduct: These policies outline expectations for staff behavior, professionalism,
and ethical conduct.
Pain Management: These policies outline protocols for assessing and managing pain
effectively and humanely.
Clinical Care: These policies outline standards for specific procedures, treatment
protocols, and clinical decision-making

B. Staff Safety

Workplace Violence Prevention: Establishing protocols to de-escalate potentially

violent situations and ensure staff safety.
Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control: Comprehensive training and readily
available personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure risks.
Fire Safety: Regular fire drills, clear evacuation procedures, and accessible fire
extinguishers.
Slips, Trips, and Falls Prevention: Maintaining clean and well-maintained walkways,
providing clear signage for wet floors, and encouraging proper footwear.
Emergency Preparedness: Providing clear guidance on emergency procedures during
fire drills and other emergencies.

Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication is crucial for maintaining a safe environment. This includes

clear communication among staff members, discussions with patients and families about
safety protocols, and open communication channels for reporting concerns.

Continuous Improvement

The hospital is committed to a culture of continuous improvement in safety practices. We

will regularly review safety data, identify trends, and implement corrective actions as
needed. Additionally, we encourage feedback from staff, patients, and families to further
enhance our safety initiatives.

Hospitals have a responsibility to provide a safe, high-quality care environment

for patients, visitors, and staff. Comprehensive safety policies and procedures
are essential to mitigate risks, prevent adverse events, and promote a culture of
patient-centered care. These safety measures span a wide range of areas,
including infection control, patient identification, falls prevention, workforce
competency, and emergency preparedness.

Safety measures

Infection Control

- Strict hand hygiene protocols for all staff, including frequent handwashing and use of
hand sanitizer
- Robust cleaning and disinfection procedures for patient rooms, equipment, and
common areas
- Proper handling and disposal of medical waste and sharps
- Screening and isolation procedures for patients with contagious infections
- Vaccination requirements for staf
Emergency Preparedness
- Emergency response plans for natural disasters, mass casualty incidents, utility
failures, etc.
- Backup power, communication, and medical gas supplies
- Regular emergency drills and staff training exercise

Staff Training and Competency

- Mandatory training for all new hires on safety protocols and procedures
- Ongoing education and skills assessments for clinical staff
- Incident review processes to identify areas for

Medication Safety
- Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems with clinical decision support
help prevent medication errors.
- Pharmacists review all medication orders and provide patient-specific dosing
recommendations.
- Barcode scanning is used to verify the right patient, drug, dose, and route of
administration.
- Hospitals track and analyze medication errors and adverse drug events to identify
system improvements.

Patient Identification
- Patients are issued unique identifiers and wear identification bands that are checked
before any procedures or medication administration.
- Staff use a “three-check” process to verify patient identity before providing care.
- Electronic medical records systems help ensure information is correctly matched to
the right patient.

Falls Prevention
- Patients are assessed for fall risk upon admission and reassessed periodically.
- Interventions can include non-slip flooring, grab bars, beds with lowered frames, and
patient monitoring systems.
- Staff are trained to assist patients with mobilization and provide a safe environment.

Workforce Competency

- Hospitals have competency-based training programs for all staff, including mandatory
annual updates.
- Clinical staff must demonstrate proficiency in areas like basic life support, use of
medical equipment, and emergency response
- There are peer review and quality audit processes to identify any gaps in staf
knowledge or skills
- There are peer review and quality audit processes to identify any gaps in staf
knowledge or skills.

Why study Occupational Health & Safety?

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), passed in 1970, created the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees health and safety in the
workplace. (REFORMED IN 1994)
The organization's mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working
men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach,
education, and assistance.
• In 2009 (the most recent data available at the time of this writing), 4,340 fatalities and
3.3 million injuries were reported.
THE NEED OF OSHA
To promote and encourage occupational safety and health awareness among workers and
to create organization along with effective safety and health measures
.
➤ OSHA is basic human right for safety at workplace
.
➤ OSHA securing the safety, heath and welfare of persons at works
.
➤ OSHA protect persons at a place of work other than employees
.
➤ OSHA promotes a suitable environment for persons at work

WHY MUST ORGANIZATIONS DEFINE AND HAVE A

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY?

Health and safety policies and procedures are crucial for the workplace because
they:
✔ Show that the employer is committed to working within abset of health and safety
principles.
✔ Establish that the employer is addressing its health and safety obligations.
Clarifies the functions and responsibilities about the organisation.
✔ Ensure that every incident is recorded, communicated to employees and implemented
in a consistent and constant way.

WHAT DOES A HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY LOOK

LIKE?
The Health and Safety Act is an all-inclusive document that can seem incredibly
overwhelming. It is filled with detailed checklists and pages upon pages of rules.
A
well-structured policy should include the following:
1) A short description about the organization.
2) The need for OHS compliance in the workplace with reference to the
Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993).
3) State the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees in ensuring a
safe and healthy workplace.
4) Specifies that management is accountable for occupational health and safety
programs and their commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace by
minimizing risks and hazards.
5) The company's health and safety statement .
6) The date of the policy
7) CEO signature
8) Review date of the policy
.

Accidents in hospitals
➤ an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typical
resulting in damage or injury.

Types of accidents in hospitals

✔ possible type of accident are included fire explosion , electrocution and gas leaks.
✔ undesired effects of electromagnetic fields, microwaves, laser and vibration .

Every hospital has a specific fire safety plan in the event of a fire
emergency.

What to Do in Case of a Fire

Fire prevention should Aim to achieve all below statements
➤ Immediate Detection
➤ Activate the alarm
➤ Rescue anyone in the immediate area of the fire
➤ Isolation

Be prepared for a fire emergency. Always!

✔ Check the location of fire alarms and know how they work.
✔ Know where your two nearest exits are located.
✔ Make sure nothing blocks fire pulls, extinguishers and emergency exits.
✔ Post emergency numbers (including security and first aid) near your telephone.
✔ Make sure you know what to do if the fire alarm sounds. Plan your escape.
✔ Learn your building evacuation plan.

Every hospital has a code name for a fire emergency.

➤ The appropriate hospital code word should be used when
reporting a fire.
➤ Fire drills are performed periodically to test all the systems involved in the fire
safety program.
➤ It is important to be familiar with all the emergency codes for each hospital.
Fire Safety Equipment
✔ Fire alarm pull stations near exits and stairwells.
✔When a fire alarm pull station is activated...
● the fire alarm will sound
● Fire doors will close
● strobe lights are activated
●Elevators move to the ground floor and are disabled.
✔ You should be familiar with the location and operation of fire extinguishers!!

Electrical Accident
→ The fires are started by faults in appliance cords, receptacles and switches. Never use
an appliance with a worn or frayed cord which can send heat onto
combustible surfaces like floors, curtains, and rugs that can start a fire.
Running cords under rugs is another cause of electrical fires.
Possible electric hazards.
➤ Accident due to Short Circuit
➤ Accident due to Loose Connections
➤ Accident due to Overload current

Equipment & Electrical Safety

✶ All hospital equipment is maintained by the hospital's
maintenance department. •
✶ To avoid patient harm, suspected problems with equipment should
always be reported.
✶ All household appliances/equipment should be visually inspected for any
damaged cords or parts.
✢ All Electrical equipment's should have Earthling connection & ELCB
for protect from leakage current.
✢ All wire should inspect regularly and all wire should have Standard.
✢ Damage ware should replace immediately.
✢ If any electric spark or damage noticeable sudden inform.
✢ All electrical wire should not hang on any path.
Equipment & Electrical Safety

✔ Power cords can be hazardous. These should be inspected for exposed wire or
damaged plugs. Power cords should always be unplugged by pulling on the plug, NOT by
pulling on the cord.
✔ In the event of a power outage, hospitals operate on emergency generators. Some
hospital areas will have normal power function, while others may have limited power in
emergency receptacles.
✔ You should know where the emergency receptacles are in your assigned areas.

Personal Safety / Security

→ Everyone has a role in keeping the hospital a safe place.
→ Hospital security staff has the responsibility to protect staff, patients, visitors &
property.
→ It is important to report any suspicious activity or perceived threats.

How to Create an Effective Health & Safety Program

Four Elements of Effective Health and Safety:
Management Leadership
Hazard Control
Hazard Analysis
Training & Education

1. Management Leadership

Management leads the way, by setting policy, assigning and supporting responsibility,
setting an example and involving employees.

If management is not interested in preventing employee injury and illness, employees

will probably not give safety and health much thought either and productive of work will
be low and this could cost us time and money.

Management provides the leadership, vision and resources needed to implement an

effective safety and health
program.
2. Hazard Analysis
The worksite is continually analyzed to identify all existing and potential hazards.
✔A critical element of any effective safety and health program is to identify and assess
hazards.
✔ Some hazards, such as housekeeping and tripping hazards can be fixed on the spot.
✔ Fixing hazards on the spot emphasis the importance of safety and health and takes
✔ advantages of a safety leadership opportunity
✔ Collect and review information about hazards.
✔ Investigate injuries, incidents and near misses.
✔ Group similar incidents and identify trends
✔ Determine severity and likelihood of incident

3. Hazard Control
Methods to prevent or control existing or potential hazards are put in place and
maintained.

✔ Effective controls protect workers from workplace hazards

✔ Hazard control helps employers provide workers with safe and healthful working
conditions v Hazard controls help employers
✔ prevent and control hazards identified through hazard analysis
✔ Involve workers, gain their insight
✔ Identify and evaluate options
✔ Use a hazard control plan
✔Develop measures to protect workers
✔ Evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls

4. Training & Education

Managers, supervisors and employees are trained to understand and deal with worksite
hazards.
✔ Peer to peer training, on the job training and worksite demonstration can be effective
in conveying safety concepts, ensuring understanding of hazards and their controls and
promoting good work practices
✔ Knowledge and skills needed to do work safety
✔ Generate understanding of workplace hazards
✔ Specialized training for unique hazard
Procedure for controlling risks
4 step system for a S.A.F.E. workplace
➢ Spot the Hazard
➢ Assess the Risk
➢ Fix the Problem
➢ Evaluate Results

Maintaining Hospital Safety is a shared responsibility between all healthcare workers,

staff, students & volunteers.
Think safety first!