OCCUPATIONAL RISKS IN HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND EMPLOYEE SAFETY CONCEPT

Abstract

 

From the perspective of health sector, occupational risks encountered by employees and employee safety concepts are considered to be highly topical matters. This is mainly because health sector involves greater risks compared to many other sectors. Major occupational risk factors are classified as biological, physical, chemical, ergonomic and psycho-social. These risk factors recently have led to an increase in occupational diseases, work accidents, and health problems. As its direct consequence, planned activities have increased in number to prevent diseases and improve the health of employees. These activities originated from the ideas to determine occupational risks in health sector, take necessary precautions, and adopt an effective risk management. In this way, it is believed that the employees would be kept away from work accidents or losing health or being injured due to an occupational disease; that employee safety would be ensured; and that health service would be presented at a higher level with more quality and safety. Protecting employees from occupational risks and giving importance to employee safety concept will not only enable prevention of work accidents and occupational diseases, but also will ensure a peaceful and comfortable working environment.

Based on these, this article will explain occupational risks in health sector and their potential effects, include some examples of the most frequent occupational risks in Turkish health sector, and refer to employee safety concept and some precautions to ensure it.

Keywords

• Occupational risk and health sector, employee safety in health sector

References

1. Korkmaz M, Aytaç A, Kılıç B, Yücel AS, Toker F, Gümüş S. Risk management and practices of health care workers: A sample of private public health organisations. Journal Academic Perspective 2014; 44 July, August. Available at: http://www.akademikbakis.org [accessed 23.04.15).
2. Meydanlıoğlu A. The safety and health of health employees. Balıkesir Journal of Health Sciences 2013;2(3):192-99.
3. Ergüney S, Tan M, Sivrikaya S, Erdem N. Occupational risks faced by nurses. Journal of Atatürk University Nursery High School 2001;4(1):63-73.
4. Aksay K, Orhan F, Kurutkan MN. FMEA as a risk management method in health service: An application on the laboratory process. Journal of Performance and Quality in Health 2012; 4:121-42.
5. Göktaş S, Ateş M. Workers’ health services. In: Ateş M, editors. Management of health services. İstanbul: Beta Publishing; 2011, p. 279-348.
6. Öztürk H, Babacan H, Anahar EÖ. Job safety of health staff employed at hospitals. Journal of Gümüşhane University Health Sciences 2012;1(4):252-68.
7. Say B. Employee safety. In: Sur H, Palteki T. editors. Hospital management. İstanbul: Nobel Medical Publishing; 2013, p.521-51.
8. Ceylan C. An analysis of work accidents by nurses at hospitals based on their self-reports. Master’s Thesis on the Department of Public Health in Dokuz Eylül University the Institute of Health Science, 2009, İzmir.

9. Çalışkan D, Akdur R. Occupational risks as self- reported by the nurses employed in the Hospital of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. The Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine 2001;54(2):135-42.
10. Özkan Ö, Emiroğlu ON. Workers’ health and job safety services for health care workers at hospitals. Cumhuriyet University Journal of Nursery Vocational School 2006;10(3): 43-51.
11. Occupational health and safety risk in the healthcare sector 2010. European Commission Avaliable at: http://ec.europa.eu/progress (accessed 23.04.15).
12. Çiftlik EE. Risk management at hospitals within the context of quality standards for health. Avaliable at: www.eyupdevlethastanesi.gov.tr/.../EMINE_ELVAN_CI FTLIK.pdf (accessed 23.04.15).
13. Hakan AK. A view from the perspective of employee safety and health to health sector. Yeni Yüzyıl University Institute of Health Sciences, Graduation Project, 2014.
14. Emiroğlu C. Occupational risks and legal regulations in health sector. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety by Association of Turkish Physicians 2012 January-February-March-Mart;16-25.
15. Saygun M. Job health and safety problems of Preventive health 2012;11(4):373-82. Medicine Bulletin
16. Tüzüner VL, Özaslan BÖ. A study on the evaluation of job security and health practices at hospitals. Journal of Administration Faculty of Istanbul University 2011;40(2):138-54.
17. Barr J, Welch A. Keeping nurse researcher safe: workplace health and safety issues. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2012;68(7):1538-45.
18. Uçak A. An analysis of the work accidents experienced by the health staff and feedbacks. .Master’s thesis for the department of Nursery for Surgical Diseases at Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University Institute of Health Sciences , 2009, Afyonkarahisar.
19. Cürcani M, Tan M. Occupational risks and health problems of the nurses employed in nephrology services and dialysis units. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin 2009;8(4):339-44.
20. Altıok M, Kuyurtar F, Karaçorlu S, Ersöz G, Erdoğan S. The experiences of the health staff with the pointed and sharp objects and the precautions taken for the injuries. Journal of Maltepe University Nursery Science and Art 2009;2(3):70-9.
21. Yenal S, Ergör A. The position of occupational risks in the education of emergency care before hospital . Journal of Turkey Emergency Medicine 2013;13(1)33-41.
22. Yıldırım A, Özpulat F. The level of knowledge and awareness of the students at health vocational high schools about occupational risks. Journal of Continuous Medical Education 2015;24(1):18-25.
23. Sunal N. The job security of nurses. Journal of Health Thought and Medical Culture December-January- February 2014-2015;33:40-5.
24. Hospital Service Quality Standards- SQS 2011. Department of Performance Management and Quality Improvement of General Directorate of Treatment Services, Ankara.
25. Oğan H. Worker’s health and safety for health employees. Avaliable at: www.saglikcalisanisagligi.org (accessed 12.07.15).
26. The code of labour health and safety issue no: 6331 http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.6331.pdf (accessed 12.07.15). Avaliable at:
27. Occupational risks of health staff. Publishing of Association of Turkish Physicians, 1st Ed., October 2008, Ankara.
28. Aravacık ED. Job health and security in terms of health services. Congress of National Health Law, 1-4 May 2014, Marmaris.