Workplace Safety

Residents in healthcare facilities often suffer from physical and/or mental conditions that prevent them from protecting themselves. For this reason, fires in healthcare facilities are particularly dangerous. With proper fire safety awareness, you can help prevent fire-related danger by taking steps to prevent fires in your facility. With adequate fire-response training, you can help minimize potential fire-related injury and loss of life, by knowing what to do in the event of a fire.  Topics include: Fire Prevention; Facility Safeguards; and Fire Response.

 

The healthcare environment is a high-risk area for back pain and injury. Nursing personnel and aides suffer more back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) than does any other occupation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Fortunately, proper posture, body mechanics, and regular exercise, along with appropriate use of lifting equipment and devices, can help reduce the risk of back injury for healthcare providers.  Topics include: Spinal Anatomy & Physiology; Safe Operation of the Spine; and Preventive Maintenance & Corrective Action.

 

This course is designed to introduce you to the basic principles of infection transmission in healthcare settings, including methods commonly used to reduce transmission risk for residents, personnel, and visitors; recognizing the importance of infection prevention and control; discussing how infections are spread and prevented; and understanding your role and responsibilities in infection control and prevention

The Chain of Infection describes how infections are transmitted in the healthcare environment including describing the chain of infection; listing the most common methods of infection transmission; and identifying host factors that increase the risk of infection.

 

Infection Prevention discusses ways in which the chain of infection may be interrupted by eliminating or reducing opportunities for exposure to infectious materials or agents including describing practices that ensure good hand hygiene; discussing the major elements of standard precautions; listing the types of isolation used to prevent disease transmission; and defining disinfection and sterilization.

 

Employee Health & Individual Responsibility discusses the importance of understanding the employee health issues related to infection control, and your personal responsibilities in the infection control program including listing essential immunizations for healthcare workers; describing exposure follow-up practices; and discussing your role in reducing your personal risk of occupational exposure to infection.

 

This course will describe some of the common safety and health issues such as lifting, slips and falls, bloodborne diseases, biological hazards, hazards associated with electrical equipment, chemicals and workplace violence. The goal is to increase your awareness of these hazards and describe what you can do to protect yourself. Topics include: Ergonomics; Biological and Infectious Agents; Slips, Trips and Falls; Portable Ladders; Electrical Safety; Machine Guarding; Lockout; Chemicals and Hazard Communication; and Workplace Violence.