Emerging Occupational Health Issues in Nursing

This assignment discusses the emerging health issues in nursing, occupational hazards, and the elimination and minimization of physical hazards and risks. It explores the various types of health issues faced by nurses, such as musculoskeletal disorders and workplace violence. The assignment also highlights the measures and regulations in place to ensure occupational health and safety in the nursing profession.

Running head: EMERGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
EMERGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
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1EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
Occupational health issues are related with the assessment of risk or illness caused by
the working environment and other factors. The healthy work force is an important factor for
the social and economic development in global, national as well as on the local level.
Therefore, occupational health and its safety is a vital option for the growing establishment.
However, in the field of nursing and other healthcare professionals, there are other health
different types of health issues and hazards and issues are related to it. It is important to
acknowledge the fact that there are 50% of global health and workforce are nurses and there
is growing demand worldwide and in the near future there will be growing need of nurses and
midwives (World Health Organization, 2019). In the following assignment, the objective is to
discuss, emerging health issues in nursing, occupational hazards and elimination as well as
minimization of physical hazards and its risks.
The healthcare workers and nurses are working in one of the most hazardous
occupational settings (Ndejjo et al. 2015). According to Australian Government-Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (2019), the 90% of the nurses and midwives are females, out
of which 2 out of 5 nurses are over the age of 50. There is constant report of high levels of
occupation related job injuries as well as illness in nursing. The type of working
environment, duties as well as responsibilities is to keep the nurses at the frontline of
occupational issues and hazards. There is a global increase of health issues that growing day
by day as the economy is rising, and the nursing industry is considered as an uniquely
hazardous occupation. There is a high relation of the back injury among healthcare workers
that pose a prominent risk to the health care workers especially in the nursing domain (Ndejjo
et al. 2015). There are high incidence of job related pain and injury in nurses and it is mainly
in the lower back pain, however these injuries are mainly due to lifting as well as moving
heavy objects from place to other manually. There are many types of health issues that are
related to nursing and its health issues, it can be categorized into many types of hazards,

2EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
however the potential cause of potential occupational health issue is physical hazard. It is said
that there are greater number of older nurses in health workforce and, there are certain
potential health hazards when it comes to nursing and working in that health care settings.
There are growing concerns for the older nurses like motion injuries, which include: tripping
and falling, hearing and vision problems as well as fatigue (Phillips & Miltner, 2015). There
is risk of musculoskeletal disorders which could affect the mental as well as physical health
of the nurses (Oakman, Macdonald & Wells, 2014).
According to Miranda (2015), there are involving workplace stressors in nursing
which can be either physical or organizational which includes working shifts, low co-worker
support and lifting and moving heavy objects. The ergonomic hazard cause a potential threat
to the overall productivity of the employers and decrease job satisfaction. The nurses are
involved not only in hospital or nursing homes; there job duties extend to clinics, school and
also in involved community health workers. It is required for the nurse to perform regular
duties which can involve the handling of high risk heavy weight tools and components. There
are certain medical equipments and diagnosis tools components in case of nursing occupation
that can lead musculoskeletal disorders and bone injury. Certain potential hazardous working
situation and medicines could also cause symptoms of chronic muscle pain, spondylitis and
other issues. There are certain physical hazards, which are related to falling from stairs,
lifting patients, holding heavy diagnostic tools that could cause various stress related diseases
among health care professionals. There are certain wastes like blood, faeces, tissues or cells
that could also can be the cause of harmful physiological and hormonal changes. There are
certain respiratory infection and irritations that could be observed if the workers have to work
in a confined place with lack of oxygen (Rim & Lim, 2014). Moreover, the migraine,
neurological distress and other kinds of occupational physiological hazards can lead to long
term occupational injury. Therefore, among the occupational operations, occupational

3EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
musculoskeletal diseases are prevailing and there can be chronic or severe fatal disease that
could add up to the physiological health issues among the nurses as well.
Apart from the environment related physiological hazards and issues in nursing and
healthcare industry there is also a prevalence of physical injuries in the nursing professions
due to long time working hours in a particular posture. There is an observable risks of
workplace violence in case of nursing profession especially observed in the mental health
care departments, and emergency departments. However, there are violence on the nurses
majorly goes not reported to the authorities. There are damage and injury to cartilage and
joints that could lead to ergonomic issues in nurses. And this type of health issues among
nurses can also increase of permanent damage to the health of the nurses (Dressner &
Kissinger, 2018). The nurses sometimes deal with manual uplifting and moving patients that
could lead to lower back pain, moreover there are certain equipment and instruments that
could lead to pain in the body (Alavi, 2014). These kinds of violence and injuries can lead to
psychological and physical long lasting impact on the nurses. The medicine occupation has a
fast paced environment and that also creates organizational stress on the health care workers
and nurses. According to McPhaul, London & Lipscomb (2013). Work place violence is one
of the most dangerous as well as the most complex health care issues in case of nursing
domain and profession. There is overriding of occupational stress among the nurses, that
could lead to nursing burn out and could produce the work force not able to face the working
demand as well as low job satisfaction (Nowruzi et al., 2015).
There are different measures taken by the International Labour Organization, 2019, to
mitigate the illness, disease, injuries and sickness arising from the working environment or
employment. It is estimated that there is global loss of GDP by 4%, when it comes to
accidents and occupational health issues. However, of the occupational health issues are
preventable with proper organizational orientation, structure and in 2003 International Labour

4EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
organization has adopted global strategy to improve occupational health and safety. In his
protocol, there is promotion of health culture and development of relevant technical
assistance. However, there are certain measures, risk management and health and safety
protocols have been developed by government of Australia that could give the pathway for
mitigating the occupational health safety issues in Australia (Department of Industry, 2019).
Work Health and Safety Act of 2011, this act enables the safety rules and regulation in health
care industry , from equipment handling which are done manually to workplace laws that
enable the workers for reduce workplace hazards and health issues (ACT Government, 2019).
The Work place health safety or Occupational health safety is a body in Australia which is
determined at mitigation of health hazards of the employees and also meets legal
requirements for ensuring health and safety of the nurses in Australia. It is not helpful for the
nurses to minimise the health injury and illness in a workplace but it is also responsible for
staff retention. Hence, growing concerns of nurse burn out can be also mitigated. Work
Health and Safety Regulation Act of 2011, these framework provide the workplace
environment and protecting the workers against the illness and injuries in working
environment and also elimination of health risks which are avoidable which are in
compliance with risk control and hazard control which are reasonably practical in terms
circumstance and related to codes. There are approved codes of practice as well as acts that
would benefit the organization as well as the nursing employees.
From the above discussion it could be concluded that there is growing burden of
health and safety issues in terms of nursing as well as medicine industry in the medical
organization. The nurses are exposed various kinds of health hazards like the stress,
physiological hazards, psychology stimulated neurological issues, as well as the physical
hazards that could lead to the permanent body and musculoskeletal injuries among nurses.
Furthermore, there are working posture and other falling as well as equipment related injuries

5EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
that could also lead to severe musculoskeletal disorders for both long term and short term
period among not only the nurses but other health care professionals. There are many
unreported workplace violence that nurses face especially in the mental or psychiatric wards
as well as in the emergency departments. Due to these reasons it could create not only
physical distress among the nurses but also can cause psychological stress as well as
psychology related physiological symptoms such as chronic headaches, diabetes. However,
there are different acts in the Work and safety workplace environments that could enable the
nurses to work in safer and better workplace environments. The Law and acts abide the rules
and regulations as well as procedures that would establish the nurses to practice safely and
also maintain employee retention.

6EMERGING OCCUPATIONA HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING
References:
ACT Government. (2019). Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Available at :
https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2011-35/default.asp
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