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Handbooks
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These handbooks are available to download from this page. BC healthcare stakeholders can order full hard copies of these handbooks by contacting OHSAH, or ordering copies online (per facility limits may be in effect). Please note that OHSAH charges for product orders from out-of-province or non-healthcare organizations. Contact OHSAH for pricing information.


Adaptive Clothing Resource Guide

Adaptive clothing is clothing that has been modified to make it easier for workers to dress residents, which in turn helps to minimize awkward joint movements, pain, and discomfort. This guide is for anyone who wants practical information on how to implement an adaptive clothing program – it will help you tailor your program to the specific needs and requirements of your facility.

Ceiling Lift Program Guide

The Ceiling Lift Program Guide is a workbook style guide designed to assist joint ceiling lift steering teams with planning and implementing a ceiling lift program at affiliate long-term facilities in BC. The guide includes reference materials and practical tools to assist the steering team through a step-by-step process. It also provides resources for developing key program components, such as policies and procedures, adaptive clothing, and musculoskeletal injury (MSI) awareness and prevention education and training, as well as information on how to access other industry resources, such as those from the Health Authorities and equipment manufacturers. (*Per facility limit in effect*)

An Ergonomics Guide for Hospital Laundries
This handbook provides practical information on how to make your laundry department a safer place to work. It will help you work through the ergonomic process, detect injury risks, and put in place ways to prevent injuries. The appendices include a signs and symptoms survey, risk factor identification checklist, WorkSafeBC ergonomics requirements, implementation guideline, stretching route, and references.

An Ergonomics Guide for Hospital Pharmacies

This handbook is for anyone who needs practical information on how to make a hospital pharmacy a safer place to work. This guide will help you work through the ergonomic process, detect musculoskeletal injury risks, and implement effective control measures to prevent injury in the pharmacy of your healthcare facility.

An Ergonomics Guide for Kitchens in Healthcare

For anyone who needs practical information on how to make a healthcare kitchen a safer place to work. This guide will help you work through the ergonomic process, detect musculoskeletal injury risks, and implement effective control measures to prevent injury in the kitchen of your healthcare facility.

Elements of a Best Practice
Violence Prevention Program for BC Healthcare
This handbook was developed by the Provincial Violence Prevention Steering Committee to support BC’s healthcare stakeholders and, specifically, joint RVPCs and local Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees (JOHSCs). With a proactive, prevention-based focus, the handbook outlines a comprehensive framework of “Best Practice” Elements which make up a Violence Prevention Program, including organization-wide policies, program implementation and communication, risk assessment, incident investigation, incident response, education and training, and periodic program review. (*Per facility limit in effect*)

Guidelines: Code White Response

A “Code White” refers to a trained team response to a behavioural emergency involving clients in healthcare settings. This guide will assist you in developing an effective Code White response program, with information on determining roles and responsibilities of team members, providing education and training, producing documentation, providing debriefing and follow-up, and developing policies and procedures. The appendices include sample policies and reporting forms.

Home & Community Care Risk Assessment Tool Resource Guide
This handbook is both a user manual and resource book for the home and community care risk assessment tool. Both were developed for OHSAH’s study “Improving the Health of Community Health Workers”. In the study, use of the RAT and resource guide was associated with reduced injuries in participating community health workers (CHWs).
(*Per facility limit in effect*)

Home & Community Health Worker Handbook
Providing home support and assisting with the activities of daily living
in a client’s home can present special health and safety challenges. As
home and community health workers, you perform a variety of different
tasks, many of which put you at risk of injury. This handbook was written to help you: Identify the types of activities that put you at risk of injury and illness, prevent injuries and illnesses, know what to do if you are hurt or ill, know your workplace rights and responsibilities, know where to find more information.

* A hard copy of this publication is available to order through the WorkSafeBC online store. *

It doesn't have to hurt: A guide for implementing musculoskeletal injury prevention (MSIP) programs in healthcare

A musculoskeletal injury prevention (MSIP) program that includes supervisors and workers has a far greater impact on workplace wellness than simply preventing injury. A well-implemented MSIP program:

  • Provides an opportunity for workers to participate in decisions that influence how their work is performed
  • Fosters positive communication between workers and supervisors
  • Provides an opportunity for workers to learn
This guide provides resources and guidelines for implementing a comprehensive MSIP program in healthcare facilities and is available to order in CD-Rom format. If you are not able to access a CD-Rom drive, please contact OHSAH for an alternate format.
(*Per facility limit in effect*)

Using Carts in Healthcare: A resource guide for reducing musculoskeletal injury

This handbook is for anyone who wants practical information on the safe use of carts in the healthcare environment. This guide focuses on using carts to reduce the physical effort required for transporting supplies and the risk of musculoskeletal injury associated with manual materials handling.

Last Updated: May 25, 2009