What Hazards Do Healthcare Professionals Face?

When most people think about healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals, they think about how they will get healed or feel better. What many people don’t realize, however, is that healthcare professionals work in a very hazardous environment. In fact, people who work in a hospital experience injuries and illnesses at a rate about twice as high as the average occupation. Learning about what types of hazards healthcare professionals face will help facilities to make changes to operate more safely. 

One of the most obvious types of hazard that healthcare professionals face is exposure to contagions. When patients come in to get treated, healthcare professionals can easily be exposed to the illness and get sick. In addition, healthcare professionals regularly work with blood and other bodily fluids that can transmit disease. 

Another type of hazard involves getting injured due to the many types of equipment that are used in these facilities. This includes sharp items like scalpels and needles. Other potentially dangerous equipment could include mobile beds, which are heavy and can cause injury, and even health monitoring tools that could cause problems. 

When a patient comes into a healthcare facility, they are often going through a difficult experience, and may even be impacted mentally. This can make it difficult to predict what they will do, which makes them a serious hazard to the employees of the facility. 

Finally, many healthcare professionals experience injuries due to the type of work that they perform. Back injuries are very common because they often have to live or manipulate patients under their care. Due to the high levels of stress that they experience, mental health issues are also a big risk for healthcare professionals.