Occupational health in the medical environment.Health in medicine

1. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH/HYGIENE IN THE
MEDICAL/HEALTH ENVIRONMENT.
By
GROUP 3
CHUKWUSA PATRICK IFEAKACHUKU CFB/18/19/252321
NNAMUDI PROSPER CFB/18/19/252616
ASIWE IFEANYICHUKWU VICTOR CFB/18/19/254872
EYEREGBA OGHENETEGA ELIZABETH CFB/18/19/253499
AGADEGA .A.JENNIFER CFC/16/17/238277

2. INTRODUCTION
Occupational health or industrial hygiene has been defined as that “science and art
devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of those environmental
factors or stresses arising in or from the work place, which may cause sickness,
impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among
the citizens of the community.

3. FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
The prime objective of OHS at a global level is to ensure that health and safety is
accessible to every worker employed in any sector across the economy.
According to the document, Global Strategy on Occupational Health for
All, the ten high priority objectives proposed by the strategy are as
follows:
 Strengthening of international and national policies for health at work
and developing the necessary policy tools
 Development of healthy work environment
 Development of healthy work practices and promotion of health at
work
 Strengthening of OHS

4.  Establishing of support services for occupational health
 Development of occupational health standards based on scientific risk assessment
 Development of human resources for occupational health
 Establishment of registration and data systems, development of information
 services for experts, effective transmission of data and raising of public awareness
through public information
 Strengthening of research

5. WORK PLACE AND HEALTH
Work is an important component of an individual’s daily life. A major proportion of an
individual’s life is spent at the “workplace”, where he or she is expected to display their
commitment and sincerity in performing various tasks. In contemporary times,
workplaces demand a high degree of expertise and competency from its workers in every
task they perform. This means that a worker’s time and quality of work both play key
roles in determining their performance and in ensuring the output produced.

6. MEDICAL OR HEALTH SECTOR
 The medical or health sector is an aggregation and integration of sectors
within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients
with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, and palliative care.
 It includes the generation and commercialization of goods and services
lending themselves to maintaining and re-establishing health. (ETA, 2012)

7. DELSUTH

8. PROFESSIONS IN THE MEDICAL SECTOR
Some professions in the medical sector includes;
 Physician
 Surgeon
 Nurse
 physiotherapist
 Dentist
 Optometrist
 Radiologist
 Gynaecologist, e.t.c.

9. MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

10. NATURE OF WORK
The working environment may influence the person’s health either positively and
negatively and productivity is, in turn, influenced by the worker’s state of physical and
mental well-being. The possibility of exposure to infection of health care professionals
that have direct contact with patients is always present and can be spread from:
 Patient to patient
 Patient to other staff
 Patient to his/her own family
 Patient to visitors especially if consulting with family members of the patient.

11. ERGONOMICS
Ergonomics is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the
design of objects, systems and environment for human use. The aim is to ensure
that the job must fit the person in all respects and the work situation should not
compromise human capabilities and limitations. So, ergonomics comes into
everything that involves people. Work systems, sports and leisure, health and safety
should all embody ergonomic principles, if well designed.

12. USING ERGONOMICS
 Ergonomics incorporates elements from many subjects including anatomy, physiology,
psychology and design.
 Ergonomists apply their diverse knowledge to ensure that products and environments are
comfortable, safe and efficient for people to use.
 Knowledge of ergonomics is of great value in preventing ill-health and injury from
work, as well as in rehabilitating people (e.g. someone with back pain). For example,
personal protective equipment will generally not be used unless it is acceptable to
employees, ( it should fit well be comfortable and not interfere unduly with the task for
which it is needed).

13. WASTE SEGREGATION
Segregation of waste at source and safe storage is the key to whole
hospital waste management process.
Segregation of various types of wastes into different categories
according to their treatment/disposal options should be done at the
point of generation in colour coded plastic bags/containers.
The needles and syringes should be disinfected and mutilated before
segregation.

14. WASTE SEGREGATION

15. WASTE AND WASTE DISPOSAL
 Microbiological and biotechnology waste: including waste from lab
cultures, stocks or specimens of microorganisms, live or attenuated
vaccines, wastes from production of biologicals, etc.
 Waste sharps: used needles, syringes, lancets, scalpels, blades, glass etc.
 Discarded medicines and cytotoxic drugs.
 Soiled wastes: items contaminated with blood and body fluids, including
cotton dressings, linen, plaster casts, bedding etc.

16. WASTE AND WASTE DISPOSAL
 Solid wastes: wastes generated from disposable items other than waste
sharps such as tubing, catheters, sets, etc.
 Liquid waste: waste generated from washing, cleaning, house keeping
and disinfection activities including these activities in labs.
 Incineration ash: from incineration of any biomedical waste.
 Chemical waste: chemicals used in production of biologicals and
disinfection.

17. WASTE AND WASTE DISPOSAL

18. FINAL DISPOSAL
The various disposal options after treatment are incineration, secured landfill,
vermicomposting and public sewers.
 Chemical treatment – sharps, solid, liquid and chemical waste
 Autoclaving/Microwaving – microbiology/biotechnology, sharps, soiled and solid
wastes
 Incineration – human, animal, microbiology/biotechnology and solid waste
 Deep burial in secured landfills – discarded medicines, incineration ash and chemical
solid waste such as mercury.
 Drainage – liquid waste, chemical liquid waste, cytotoxic waste in addition to being
toxic are mutagenic hence should never be diluted and discharged into the sewers
Storage of waste pending final disposal

19. FINAL DISPOSAL
 AUTOCLAVING MACHINE

20. RISK FACTORS
Clinical examination of humans
• Taking specimens of blood, body fluids or other clinical specimens e.g. smears
• Surgical procedures
• Dressing/treatment of wounds
• Care of patients incapable of looking after themselves
cleaning, disinfection, repair and maintenance work as well as transport and disposal

21. work in contaminated areas and/or with contaminated equipment and
objects;
• contact with areas where infection is suspected, e.g. contaminated
materials in laundries (soiled laundry zone);
• handling/moving of cleaning or disinfection apparatus;
• handling pointed or sharp instruments or equipment

22. PRECAUTIONS
 use of gloves
 use of protective clothing
 use of filtering face masks
 The disinfecting and cleaning of visibly contaminated surfaces
and objects and regular maintenance of medical products, as an
important standard hygiene measure.

23. CONCLUSION
Occupational health and hygiene is the workplace safety precautions
taken by an Organization to prevent workplace hazards and injury in
workers.
Occupational health and hygiene in the medical/health environment is
the different regulations or rules needed to prevent the risk of Hazards
from occurring in medical environment and practitioners.