Occupational Health & Safety
In maintaining health, in returning patients to good health, health care professionals have exposure to their own occupational health and safety risks.
The incidence of work related injuries amongst the health care profession is significant. The range of these injuries is broad and includes musculoskeletal injuries, physical and psychological stressors.
As an example from physiotherapy, as many as 91% of physiotherapists suffer from musculoskeletal pain during their own working lifetime, primarily due to manual techniques applied in the provision of care and in lifting and patient transfers. One in six physiotherapists change their career as a result of injury (Cromie et al 2000*).
For many other health care professions, long hours, poor postures, poor equipment, poor lighting, less than ideal environments can contribute to injury and or illness in the course of providing professional health services. There’s also the non physical health aspects associated with high work demand, poor work schedules, high responsibility, difficult patients, poor or unexpected health outcomes or events for patients etc.
Under this section of Riskequip, simple guildance is provided in relation to Work Health and safety Management, Systems and Hazards.
*Cromie JE, Robertson VJ and Best MO (2000): Work related musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapists: prevalence, severity, risks and responses.
Physical Therapy 80: 336-351
