Health & Safety Update

Have you identified the risks?

As a result of varying workplace conditions and hazards in their working environment, Community Healthcare Workers (CHW) face a high risk of injury. The newly-redesigned “Have you identified the risks” poster highlights the importance of workplace risk assessment. This resource is free to BC healthcare. To order, please contact OHSAH at 778.328.8000 or visit the OHSAH website. Resource of Interest Translated WorkSafeBC Publications: For better accommodation of British Columbia's multicultural workforce, a number of WorkSafeBC publications are now also available in Chinese, Punjabi, Vietnamese, and Spanish. These include WHMIS: The Basics, Understanding the Risks of Musculoskeletal Injury (MSI), and other health and safety publications. Visit the WorkSafeBC website to find out more. Do you have news for the Health & Safety Update? Email your stories, comments and suggestions to: update@ohsah.bc.ca

In this issue: Resource Update: Stay Poke and Splash Free OSHTip of the Month: 5-Step Process in Patient Handling Latex Database Resource Update: Stay Poke and Splash Free

The Stay Poke and Splash Free poster and brochure have recently been updated to reflect the latest developments in blood and body fluid (BBF) exposure prevention. In addition to general information, the "Stay Poke and Splash Free" poster and brochure provides information on exposure control strategies, poke and splash prevention, as well as building a safety culture in the workplace. The poster and brochure are free to BC healthcare. Please call 778.328.8000 or visit the OHSAH website at www.ohsah.bc.ca to place your order. Top OSHTip of the Month Overexertion due to patient handling is the most common injury type among healthcare workers. Consequently, it is critical to identify potential risk factors and to complete a patient assessment before performing any patient handling tasks. 5-Step Process in Patient Handling OSHTip will show you how to break risk identification, assessment, and control into a simple five-step process:

Step 1: Identifying and assessing potential risk factors
Step 2: Deciding on the appropriate patient handling technique
Step 3: Preparing for the patient handling task
Step 4: Performing the patient handling task
Step 5: Evaluating the completed patient handling task

Each of the steps outlined above takes into account factors related to the environment, organization, the patient, and the caregiver. Please visit the OSHTips section of the OHSAH website to learn more. Top Latex Database

Due to its broad applicability, latex is widely used throughout the healthcare sector. It has been recently observed that healthcare workers, who are constantly exposed to latex for prolonged periods of time, frequently develop allergies or increased sensitivity to this material. With over 12,000 products listed, the LATEX Database is a great resource for healthcare workers. OHSAH and the healthcare authorities have developed this online database to ensure that workers can easily find which products or supply items contain latex and which ones are latex free. Please visit the OHSAH website to try the LATEX database today. Top

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