PUBH6002 Assessment: Work Health Safety Report on Global Health Issues

This report provides a work health safety (WHS) assessment focusing on the occupational hazards faced by nurses. The assessment identifies potential hazards in various scenarios, including wound cleaning, exposure to anesthetic gases, handwashing, and handling sharp objects. It details the associated harms, such as infections, respiratory problems, skin ailments, and exposure to harmful radiation and disease-causing germs. The report evaluates existing risk controls, assigns current risk ratings using a risk matrix, and proposes additional control measures to mitigate risks. These measures include providing sterilized equipment, using anti-gas masks, implementing herbal soaps, and providing protective equipment like gloves, aprons, and radiation suits. The report emphasizes the need for comprehensive safety protocols to protect nurses, who are considered essential healthcare workers, from various health risks.

Task or scenario Hazard/s Associated harm, e.g.
what could go wrong? Existing
Risk
Controls
Current
risk
rating
Usethe
Risk
Matrix
Any additional controls
are required?1
Residual
risk
rating
Usethe
Risk
Matrix
Cleaning the
wounds of patients
Injury with sharp
objects like needles,
scissors
If a nurse is trying to
sedate a patient by cutting
any bandage or any stitch,
the scissors or knifes
might create a deep cut in
the hands of the nurse,
This might lead to
bleeding and there is the
chance of infections
Hand
gloves
2 Sterilized scissors,
needles and other sharp
materials to be provided
so that the nurses can be
kept safe from such
injuries.
2
Anaesthesia for
patients might
expose the nurse to
harmful gases
Anaesthesias is a day to
day activity that might
make the nurse get
exposed to the harmful
gas on a regular basis. It
will make the nerves
weak and can also lead
to breathing problems
Different human bodies
have different resistance
power. Thus a nurse who
is of a weak immune
system will get severity
affected by the
anaesthesia gases used on
the operation theatres.
No such
control
measures
except
masks
4 Specially made anti gas
masks must be used so
that the nurses can stay
away from these toxic
gases.
4
Washing hands
Soap chemicals for
washing hands
Nurses have to wash their
hands multiple times each
day after looking after the
No such
measures
yet
1 Good quality herbal
soaps and lather free
hand wash mist be
1
1Always consider whether or not it is possible to eliminated the hazard or hazardous task altogether. If this is not possible, refer to the hierarchy of risk
controls.

with soap many
times on a regular
basis
patients. Repeated usage
of soaps might harm the
skin
provided so that nurses
do not suffer from any
severe skin ailments
Contamination of
severe disease
causing germs like
tuberculosis,
hepatitis and others
Treating a patient with a
contaminating disease like
pox is likely to create the
same disease within the
nurse.
Nurses are the assets of
hospital and must be kept
safe. Nurses might easily
get contaminated by the
disease causing germs
while taking care of the
infected patients.
No such
measures
yet
5 This is one of the highest
risk for a nurse because
they have to stay with the
patients on a 24*7 hour
basis. There is a high
chance that the Nurses
will get the harmful
disease causing germs
from the patients due to
close contact.
Thus proper protective
materials like gloves,
aprons, masks must be
given to all the nurses.
5
Radiation might
weaken the cells
Treating the cancer patients
is likely to make the nurses
get infected by the harmful
chemotherapy radiation
rays.
Radiation rays are highly
corrosive and can damage
the healthy body cells.
Thus nurses looking after
cancer affected patients
must be given proper care.
Normal
masks
5 Anti radiation suits and
jackets must be given to
the nurses while they go
in the chemo therapy
radiation rooms.
5