Occupational Health and Safety in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of occupational health and safety (OHS) in the healthcare sector. It begins by tracing the historical development of the OHS profession, starting from the industrial era and evolving to modern social-technical times. The report then delves into the role of OHS professionals, detailing how they utilize their knowledge of key elements, such as safety culture, training programs, measuring systems, and policies, to reduce occupational injuries and diseases. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of evidence-based practices, linking research findings with clinical practices to enhance decision-making and improve safety. The report highlights the impact of these practices on individuals, organizations, and the wider community, underscoring the significance of OHS in creating a healthier and safer work environment. The report concludes by emphasizing the ongoing evolution and importance of OHS in healthcare.

Running head: HEALTHCARE
Healthcare
Report
Student Name

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Introduction
Occupational health and safety is considered an approach which offers protection to health care
professional from injury as well as diseases. Health care professionals always work under risk
environment and this occupational health and safety act as a shield for their health (Robson et al.,
2012). This report is mainly focused on historical developments related to profession of
occupational health and safety. In addition, this report also includes modern era of Occupational
health and safety and related factors. It also includes a key element which is used to reduce risk
in health care service by professionals. It includes role of occupational health and safety in health
improvement of the society.
Historical development of OHS professional
Occupational health has its presence from industrial time and has become apparent when health
of people working in factories had been compromised. At present, health care profession is
experiencing changes from focused occupational illness to new challenges associated related to
service economy like musculoskeletal disorder, stress, anxiety, physical health and so on. Earlier
occupational health was limited to illness faced by workers in an industrial setting (Teusner,
2016). After industrial revolution, size of industry started changing from small to large which
was one of major shift occurred during British economy. But at the same time, this change also
bought many unique sets of issues which were potentially dangerous for working people. It also
includes extended working hours, risk related to chemicals and other related health issues. But
still, these types of facilities are limited when things are related to health care occupations. Due
to industrial revolution, many European countries had moved from manual to service-based
mechanisms in health care sectors especially hospitals and clinics (Pryor, 2019). Therefore, it has
become important to ramify health occupational in this situation. Various countries have adopted
technical advancement by introducing their new machinery and equipment in healthcare sectors
along with opening of service and commerce sectors. This has brought rapid change in structure
of occupational healthcare which has also included health safety of women in the workplace.
This rapid change in work structure has evolved complex health problems which have a direct
impact on the mental and physical health of an individual which were forced to work for long
hour’s especially in developing countries such as Africa. This has spread rapid flow of disease all
over the world because health facilities in developing countries were not advanced as compared
to developed countries (Cresswell and Sheikh, 2013). Both ergonomic, as well as psychosocial
factors have been transformed into new structures when compared to health situations before
industrial revolution. In this situation, health occupations were completely in need of new
structures in order to handle new challenges in health service in both developed as well as
developing countries. It has been explored that benefits related to health service occupation in
developing countries in both platforms locally as well as national level (Myers, 2019). The focus
of health service occupation was mainly focused on injuries and risky related to work-related
facts. Due to these issues organizations are facing problems in terms of high absenteeism which
has a direct impact on the overall production of the organization. This issue becomes more

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important when things are associated with those countries where skilled labours are already
limited.
Occupational health care is also facing issues related to work overload along with psychological
stress. But at the same time, occupational health service has adopted new approaches that
improve situations related to health and risky issues for workers (Paul and Pearse, 2016). They
have adopted legal framework in order to focus on those activities which may lead to
occupational injury along with impact of work environment on the health of an individual. A
clear set up of principles has been discovered in occupational health service in order to ensure
quality and business excellence. These guidelines are developed for specific to introduce
effective management in occupational health service. Various organizations have adopted
policies and procedures that maintain records related to activities that are linked with work
environment and work safety set up.
Elements to reduce injury and disease
At present organizations are very concerns towards safety of their employees because they are
aware that employees are the most important asset for their organization. Management believes
that technology can be copied, strategy can be copied by experience and skill of employees
cannot be copied and therefore they form unique benefits for the success of every organization.
One of the key elements used by organization offers safe environment to their employees
(Dixon-Woods et al., 2014). Safety culture consists of important components such as
psychological, behavioral and situational. A psychological component includes value,
perceptions and believes which helps in taking an effective decision in terms of safety.
Behavioural component is linked with approaches that can offer safety at the workplace.
Situational component take care of elements such as policies, regulations, and structure in order
to provide a safe work environment. It has been found that offering only better equipment and
instruments is not enough to offer safe environment and therefore commitment plays a very
important role in offering safety (Braithwaite et al., 2010). At present, it has become
responsibility of leaders to introduce vital character which can offer positive culture to
employees. In addition, leader must be accountable for effectively communicating values and
priority related to health safety. Workers must be involved in decision making because they are
the people who have hand-on experience and are better aware related to safety issues while
working in the organization.
Another element used in occupational health service is training program. In this training
program, every individual offers health safety training in terms of theoretical as well as practical
experience. Theoretical experience increase employees' knowledge related to health and safety
while working. Practical experience helps them to understand circumstances better and how to
handle uncertain situations (O'Connor, Flynn, Weinstock and Zanoni, 2014). Training program
provides insights rather than incidents and helps employees to change their thinking patterns in
sharing their experience while addressing issue. It creates a kind of habitual pattern which helps

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management to offer safety work environment to individual, organization as well as society in
which they are operating.
At present organization believes that if something cannot be measured then it is impossible to
bring improvement in that approach. Therefore, organization today have introduced measuring
system which keeps data related to injury, machine life, work structure in order to explore health
and safety issue in organization deeply (Levesque, Harris and Russell, 2013). This data offers
management an upper hand to understand the root cause of issue and act effectively on them. In
addition, organizations are also monitoring each step carefully to eliminate chances of error in
the process by offering protection.
Another important element in occupational health service is policy. At present, organization has
adopted a new policy in the form of standard operating procedures in which every step in
considered in order to provide safety right from wearing hand gloves to mouth cover. In addition,
this SOP is also including other instructions which are related to the safety protection of the
worker in the organization (Babcock et al., 2010). It has also become important for organization
to provide safety to the society in which they are operating and therefore, organization is sending
their employees as representative in the society in the form of social awareness camp. The
purpose of this camp is to provide health and safety knowledge to the people living in that area.
It includes both theoretical knowledge as well as practical experience in the form of a small
workshop in order to keep them society healthy and risk free.
Evidence
Evidence-based health service was established just to link research findings with clinical
practices. It has been found that every year an estimate of more than 2 million people has to face
death due to work-related injuries and diseases on the global level. Every year world is facing
new cases of disease which are related to work. Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are
considered most highlighted issues (Owens et al., 2010). Other issues such as neurological,
musculoskeletal and hearing loss are also increasing. These elements are being incorporated with
health care system in order to ensure safe work environment in the organizations. Evidence-
based health practice is been linked with enhancing occupational health service decision making
and safety of individuals. Manner and extent which are associated with individual elements are
mainly applied to factors that are linked with the magnitude of the organization, activity pattern
and condition in which work is being performed (Brouwers et al., 2010). Therefore, researchers
started exploring new approaches linked with risk and danger related to rapid change in industry
and established base for first factory law. This law was focused on highlighting worker safety
needs. New changes have brought a different set of complications related to health. One of the
most challenging issues is mental stress, musculoskeletal disorder and other body issues such as
poor posture, lack of physical exercise which results in obesity and other heart-related diseases.
In past time, workers do not have choices such as work from home and other facilities which
offer them little bit relax work environment. Evidence base practice helps OHS professionals to

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use information in their decision making in order to solve problem. Evidence base practice offer
OHS professional an opportunity to put their thinking in experience form which is linked with
both theoretical as well as practical experience (Odom et al., 2010). OHS professionals use
evidence-base practice as a reference to develop new approaches that differ according to the
present situation. Electric mode evidence offers fastest information to OHS professionals to
resolve issue quickly in order to offer more positive work environment by using a continuous
improvement approach. Improvements are made in the form of small changes so that they do not
create any kind of opposition from workers related to their work structure. Evidence is always
considering highlights of researches, advance technology, thoughts and opinion in combine form.
At present situation, OHS professionals need to remain updated related to health and safety
issues in the form of advice, decision-making approach, creativity linked with issue. It acts as a
conceptual base which differentiate OHS new model from their regular problem-solving
approach (French et al., 2012). In order to bring changes, it becomes very important for OHS
professionals to make proper use of OHS literature which is present in the form of evidence-base
practices. These include standards, information, regulations which connect health with safety
aspects. Only basic skills are required to structure these approaches in the form of researches in
order to link it with health framework. Evidence base practice helps OHS professionals to
integrate an organization element which includes planning cycle, continuous change, new
evolution towards an improved direction. This integration is essential to eliminate the chances of
possible hazards in the organization while working. It is also linked with the usual pattern which
acts as a symbol of logic and rules for maintaining health and safety in the organization.
Conclusion
New innovations in health have brought new changes in the structural pattern of occupational
health care. Occupational health care is interested in offering healthy and risk-free work
environment to workers, employers working in different sectors. But still, it has been found that
this believe is not recognized on the universal platform. Millions of people on the global level
believe that present employees are working in ill health and unsafe work environment. It has
been found that psychological factors are mainly linked with insomnia, fatigue and anxiety issues
which impact both health and physical ability of the person. In addition to this, it has been
explored that only 50% of employees are able to receive health care services. In this situation,
occupational health service act as one of the best approach which is being implemented in the
organization in the form of polices as well as regulations. In addition to this, safety program is
being conducted to provide safety work environment to both workers as well as society. These
training programs are related to experience of handling situations. Occupational health services
are including measuring system to explore data related to health and physical injuries.

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