Hospital Life Safety Issues

As safe and sound as hospitals are made out to be, they can be breeding grounds for the most dangerous biological, chemical and ergonomic hazards. Most health care facilities have countless safety issues taken into account every day.

Bloodborne Pathogens

• Hospital personnel, especially first receivers, are constantly at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens from patients, such as Hepatitis B and HIV, through cuts from instruments contaminated with an infected patient's blood. Contact with the patient's other body parts (i.e. eyes, nose, mouth) containing blood are also risk factors for pathogens.

Hazardous Material

• Improperly handling hazardous material such as chemotherapy waste leaves hospital workers at risk of radioactive and chemical exposure. Patients involved in the exposures must be decontaminated for their safety, and workers must be trained to spot hazardous waste on sight and properly dispose of it.

Surgical Instruments

• Neglecting to sterilize surgical instruments prior to an operation places patients at risk of excruciating pain, extended recovery, loss of limbs and even death, making it all the more necessary to clean all instruments before and after surgery.