Occupational safety is important for protecting worker health and safety. In the medical field, occupational safety is especially crucial given the high risks workers face, such as exposure to bloodborne pathogens, biological hazards, chemicals, and needlestick injuries. The medical field has over 650,000 reported injuries annually, more than any other industry. A diverse range of workers beyond those with medical training, such as maintenance and administrative staff, can be exposed to hazards. Occupational safety aims to cushion risks that remain in the workplace despite improvements.

1. Occupational Safety:
Generally & in the Medical
Field
Payton Temple

2. General: What It Means
• Occupational safety is used when a business is talking about…
• Safety
• Health
• Welfare
• It only involves employees within that line of work

3. General: Why It’s Important
• On average, people spend about a quarter of their life working
• Also up to half of their waking lives is spent working
• Even though there have been many improvements in the
workforce, work related deaths, injuries, and illnesses still
happen each and every day
• Occupational safety helps provide “cushion” when it comes to
dealing with these type of conditions

4. General: Challenges
• With the workplace becoming more diverse it can lead to new
health and safety issues
• Ex- demographic changes
• Some workers are more at risk for work-related diseases and
injuries
• Racial and ethnic minorities
• Recent immigrants
• Younger and older workers
• Workers with genetic susceptibility
• Workers with disabilities

5. General: Challenges Continued
• Organization is changing
• Work hours are longer
• Work weeks are becoming compressed
• Job security is reducing
• Shift work
• New…
• Chemicals
• Materials
• Processes
• Equipment
• The development of “new” is at a fast pace, causing risks

6. Medical Field: Occupational
Safety
• The medical field is the fastest growing workforce in the US
• Therefore, not only is the number of employees growing but
the number of workers that are hurt or diseased from the job
is growing as well

7. Medical Field: Hazards
• It’s no secret that workers within the medical field face many
serious safety and health hazards
• These hazards can happen in a list of different places…
• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Dental offices
• Out-patient surgery centers
• Birthing centers
• Emergency medical care
• Home healthcare
• Nursing homes

8. Medical Field: Hazards
Continued
• The amount of things that could go wrong for workers within
the medical field can be endless
• Some examples include…
• Blood borne pathogens
• Biological hazards
• Chemical or drug exposure
• Anesthetic gas exposures
• Respiratory hazards
• Ergonomic hazards from lifting & repetitive tasks
• Workplace violence
• Exposure to radioactivity and x-ray
• Needle-stick injury
•

9. Medical Field: How Many?
• There are more injuries with workers that are in the medical
field than any other workforce
• The medical field has one of the highest number of work
related injuries and illnesses
• In 2010, there were 653,900 cases of reported injuries or
illnesses
• That is 152,000 more than the second highest industry,
manufacturing

10. Medical Field: Who Can Be
Exposed?
• It is not just workers with some type of medical degree or
training that are at risk
• Other workers that are tied into the medical field include…
• Mechanical maintenance
• Medical equipment maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Food service
• Building and grounds maintenance
• Laundry
• Administrative staff

11. Work Cited
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_safety_and_healt
h
• http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-
objectives/topic/occupational-safety-and-health
• https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthcarefacilities/
• http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/healthcare/