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The healthcare industry has one of the highest rates of work-related injuries and illnesses, and it continues to rise due to increased hospital visits and close contact with people and substances. Healthcare workers in all areas must be protected, including hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms, school nursing offices, nursing homes, and in home healthcare settings. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers must be determined by first performing a complete workplace hazard assessment that identifies hazard exposures for workers.
Scope
Healthcare workers have exposure to a litany of harmful agents while caring for patients and performing other tasks. Common hazards faced by these hardworking lifesavers include:
- Dermal exposure to chemicals and surface contaminants,
- Skin-to-skin contact with sick people, contact with airborne pathogens that have been coughed or sneezed,
- Exposure to gases or other chemicals used to prep and care for patients during surgery, and
- Skin contact with cleaning agents.
Other common hazards to which healthcare workers are exposed include ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, lead, mercury, and nitrous oxide.
Regulatory citations
- 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I — Personal Protective Equipment
- 29 CFR 1910.141 — Sanitation
- 29 CFR 1910 Subpart Z — Toxic and Hazardous Substances
Key definitions
- Administrative control: A type of workplace hazard control that uses procedures, policies, supervision, scheduling, and training as a means of protecting workers.
- Contaminant: A substance that poisons or pollutes.
- Engineering control: A type of workplace hazard control that places barriers between the worker and the hazard, such as guarding or eliminating harmful machinery or chemicals.
- Hazard assessment: Method of evaluating and assessing workplace risks and hazards to which workers are exposed to determine the best protection methods.
Summary of requirements
OSHA requires employers to provide a workplace for healthcare workers free of recognized hazards. This includes using engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE to protect these workers from infectious diseases, harmful gases and chemicals, and dangerous or faulty equipment or processes.
Engineering controls, such as proper ventilation, and administrative controls, such as work procedures and handwashing protocols, are healthcare workers' best means of protection. Routinely pre-cleaning surfaces before applying an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant to frequently touched surfaces or objects for appropriate contact times are essential administrative safety controls. However, when those methods don’t provide adequate protection, PPE is required to fill the gaps and ensure workers' safety.
The correct PPE is chosen based on the likelihood and risk level of exposures, as well as the frequency of exposures. PPE for healthcare workers may include any combination of protective head coverings, safety glasses or goggles, face shields, respiratory protection (masks), gowns, gloves, aprons, and shoe coverings. Healthcare workers must use proper PPE when exposed to patients with suspected or confirmed illnesses and when handling chemicals, gases, or other contaminants.