Thinking about my workplace at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospitals' Community Wellness Center there are chemical, biological and ergonomic issues that are in place. Chemical, because we use disinfecting agents that are so harsh that if used with bare hands the skin begins peeling off. Biological, because it is a hospital setting and we are exposed to sick patients using the center through pathogen exposure. Lastly, ergonomic issues, because there is not a big enough space to house the staff and volunteers at properly equipped work stations so we are working in un-ideal ways a lot of the time. Looking at the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, the issue can be addressed by using safer but just as effective cleaning chemicals to wipe surfaces. However, this is hard to come by that would kill as many viruses and bacteria that live in hospital environments. Regarding the ergonomic issues, the best thing we can do is through administrative controls. The hospital administration need to become aware of the ergonomic situations people have at the wellness center. In reality, the center does not have the funding or the space to solve this type of problem. We can do our best to keep the area clear of pathogens such as wearing face masks if people have a cough, but it is best to stick with certain cleaning agents to best clean the surfaces in which food touches.
The barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace are usually in administration and funding. In the cases of a hospital or clinic setting, usually there are not enough funds and administration just doesn't always take the smaller health issues in the workplace as priority.
Hi Tina,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your situation on ergonomic situation, at the pharmacy we are constantly exposed to many pathogens and sanitation is a very important issue, and for us, we are always standing on our feet which puts a lot of pressure on our spine, therefore many of us have been complaining of back and neck pain. I agree with you that the lack of administration support is a barrier to workers speaking up about their situation because they may think it won't make a difference bring it up.
The barriers you stated are very true. Many times lack of funding and lack of administration are large issues to why workplace exposures are not changed. It is really sad how it is handled, after all, healthcare workers need to be at their healthiest if they are expected to care for their own patients.
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