Awareness of Occupational Health and Safety among Healthcare Providers in U.S

Executive Summary

In U.S., all the infrastructure and basic facilities were properly started only when the current Sultan began ruling the country in 1970. Since then, the hospitals have witnessed a tremendous growth. These hospitals are directly controlled by the Ministry of Health. At present, there are twelve regions with tertiary and secondary level hospitals and a large number of primary-level health centres. The main aim of this dissertation project is to carry out an investigation to look at the awareness level of healthcare providers among in U.S. hospitals.

Problem Statement

The hospitals operate on a first come first serve basis in the Accident and Emergency (A&E), whereas for the out patient department's (OPDs) patients have to take appointments first. Services are provided to everybody without any discrimination among U.S.is. The continuous growth of the population might pose two challenges. First, how effectively can we fit the increasing demand with the present infrastructure? Secondly, in doing so, the quality of treatment might get compromised. This can result in health and safety measures not getting due attention which makes hospital-staff and patients at risk and exposes them all to various health and safety hazards.

Occupational health and safety is a discipline with a broad scope involving many specialized fields. In its broadest sense, it should aim at:

•the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations;

•the prevention among workers of adverse effects on health caused by their working conditions;

•the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health;

•the placing and maintenance of workers in an occupational environment adapted to physical and mental needs;

•the adaptation of work to humans.

In other words, occupational health and safety encompasses the social, mental and physical well-being of workers, that is the “whole person” (Horwitz et al, 45).

Successful occupational health and safety practice requires the collaboration and participation of both employers and workers in health and safety programmes, and involves the consideration of issues relating to occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, toxicology, education, engineering safety, ergonomics, psychology, etc.

Occupational health issues are often given less attention than occupational safety issues because the former are generally more difficult to confront. However, when health is addressed, so is safety, because a healthy workplace is by definition also a safe workplace. The converse, though, may not be true a so-called safe workplace is not necessarily also a healthy workplace. The important point is that issues of both health and safety must be addressed in every workplace. By and large, the definition of occupational health and safety given above encompasses both health and safety in their broadest contexts.

Looking at the mentioned current status of hospitals and limited availability of health and safety measures, the author decided to contribute to the solution of this problem. Thus, the selected topic “awareness of health and safety in hospitals by healthcare workers” has wide applications and a significant role to play in the health and safety ...