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Occupational Hazards for Nurses

By
Nancy Burgess

There are virtually endless occupational hazards for nurses in the workplace, regardless of their place of employment.

Exhausted nurse after a tiring, difficult day,

There are a myriad of occupational hazards in the nursing profession. They cover a wide range of concerns. Being aware of the potential problems and seeking a reasonable and attainable solution is the key to creating a safer work environment.

A High Risk Group

The medical workforce has 1.6 million caregivers who work at 21,000 different work-sites in the United States.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that works to ensure that there are safe and healthy working conditions for the U.S. workforce.

The Hazards

There are virtually endless occupational hazards for nurses in the workplace, regardless of their place of employment. They include, but are not limited to:

Infectious Disease - Nurses care for patients with contagious diseases. The exposure to such a variety of bacteria and germs predisposes a nurse to diseases like hepatitis B, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C. diff), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB).

Needlestick Injuries - Accidental needlestick injuries are common in the healthcare industry. In the U.S., statistics report that for every 100 hospital beds in the country, 30 workers suffer from such an injury every year. This represents an astounding 800,000 needlesticks a year.

This occupational hazard exposes nurses or other healthcare providers to a myriad of blood-borne pathogens including hepatitis B and C or HIV.

Back Injury - Lifting, pulling turning and transporting patients predispose a nurse to a potential back injury. There is 38 percent of the nursing workforce who report a back injury every year.

Proper body mechanics and not lifting more than 51 pounds, for the average employee, will help to reduce the risk of back injury, according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Latex Allergy - Latex gloves help to prevent disease transmission. There are roughly 8-10 percent of healthcare workers who demonstrate a latex allergy. A wide variety of reactions are associated with such an allergy, which range from dermatitis and/or asthma to an anaphylactic response.

Vinyl gloves are an acceptable and commonly used replacement for latex gloves.

Radiation Exposure - A nurse need not be based in the radiology department to be exposed to the risks of radiation. Working in the emergency department or on the inpatient units, where portable x-rays are often done, there is still a higher than average risk of exposure.

Nurses need to protect themselves, other patients and visitors from radiation exposure by leaving the immediate area when an x-ray is being taken or using a lead apron shield, when appropriate.

Toxic Chemical Exposure - There are many toxic chemicals in the medical workplace. Chemotherapy drugs are carcinogens and create a health risk for nurses. Any nurse administering such drugs must exercise caution and follow proper safety protocol.

Exposure to cold sterilizing agents can also present a hazard. There are two particular agents, ethylene oxide and glutaraldehyde, that are especially concerning. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogen but can also cause a miscarriage if not properly handled. Glutaraldehyde, found primarily in cleaning agents, can trigger an asthmatic response.

Emotional and Physical Stress - The intense emotional stress of caring for sick and/or terminal patients affects nurses on a regular basis. The nursing staff on an oncology unit is especially affected.

A rotating shift schedule and 12-hour shifts, which have become so popular in recent years, both create emotional and physical stress for nurses. The physical stress can present as fatigue, chronic headaches, gastrointestinal symptoms, back pain or, in some cases, depression.

Workload Overload - The ongoing debate about nurse-to-patient ratio in the clinical setting exemplifies this potential occupational hazard. There is an increased workload plus more critically ill patients for whom to care. Often, overtime enters into this domain and creates even a greater workload.

Violence in the Workplace - For the record, medical facilities, especially mental health and emergency departments, have the most significant rate of non-fatal violence in the workplace.

The Fix

There are OSHA guidelines that offer department-specific health and safety practices for the medical workplace. It is imperative that nurses be aware of the potential problems and institute ways to reduce the occupational hazards that they and their colleagues face when they enter their place of employment.