One does not often consider that, in hospitals, it is not only the medical and paramedical practitioners who face the risk of contamination but also the permanent and occasional workers such as cleaners, janitors and waste removal operators.
Chemical risk in hospitals
There are currently various national and international regulations and standards which deal, among other things, with chemical risk in hospitals. The aim of these standards is to protect those who work in a hospital environment and risk contracting diseases due to exposure to chemical agents.
Chemical risk in hospitals mainly concerns laboratory or waste disposal areas. These are the places where the risk of exposure is greater because workers come into contact with chemical reagents which can cause serious health problems. Risk could be due to contact with caustic or irritant substances and/or inhalation of hazardous dust, gases, fumes and vapours. In some cases, workers might be exposed to carcinogenic or toxic substances. This is why it is essential to carry out risk assessments in hospitals and take measures to prevent hazards.
Hospital workers, therefore, need to be provided with personal protective equipment to protect exposed parts of the body, e.g. gloves, gowns, trousers and shoes resistant to hazardous chemicals and substances. Particular attention should also be paid to the face and the respiratory system, by making use of respiratory protective devices. These devices are usually equipped with face masks or helmets and are powered by batteries worn on a belt at the waist. Some models are specifically designed to supply filtered air for over 8 hours without particular wearer discomfort.
Prolonged exposure to chemical agents in hospitals
The respiratory risk in hospitals, where a wide variety of chemical agents are used such as anaesthetics, sterilizers and cyto-static agents, is very high. There are many hospital departments which are exposed to hazards and also many different hazardous substances present. Sometimes, however, one does not take into account that the hospital staff exposed to risks are not only the regular medical and paramedical practitioners, but also the occasional workers such as the cleaners or waste disposal operators. In essence – to better understand the risks of exposure, the dangerous substances employed in the various hospital departments can be classified as follows:
- Laboratories: hydrochloric acid, sodium hydrate, acetic , picric and formic acid, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, acetone;
- Outpatient departments and clinics: personal and environmental disinfectants and detergents, sterilization products;
- Endoscopy: peracetic acid, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde;
- Chemotherapy wards: exposure to chemotherapic drugs during their preparation, administration and disposal;
- Operating rooms: gaseous anaesthetics;
- Radiology: glutaraldehyde, acetic acid, diethyl glycol;
- Clinical files development and classification: VOC, formaldehyde, ozone.
Protection and actual risks to the respiratory system in hostipals
All the substances used in hospitals can contaminate the work environment in the form of gases or vapours and represent a constant source of health risk.
These are the main respiratory hazards which are usually present in hospitals:
- acute intoxication due to accidental inhalation or ingestion of a toxic substance;
- chronic intoxication after prolonged exposure to low doses of toxic substances;
- allergic risk (respiratory allergy, acute or chronic bronchial asthma).
Therefore, if we consider that negative GRAM bacteria circulate freely in hospitals and that one in three patients may contract mild to moderate respiratory diseases, we can easily deduce that the exposure of workers who carry out their job in a hospital on a continuous basis is very high and result in serious consequences.
When referring to bacteriological exposure, it is always necessary to distinguish between infection and contamination. In fact, one should remember that contamination is extremely different and can sometimes wear out without further evolution and without leaving trace.
Current workplace health and safety regulations and standards specify a series of protective measures which must be applied in the workplace and these can be schematized as follows:
- risk assessment;
- risk prevention;
- risk elimination or reduction;
- limitation of the number of workers exposed or limitation of the use of pathogens;
- continuous and constant surveillance;
- staff training;
- emergency measures;
- proper signposting;
- capillary and periodic maintenance;
- personal protective equipment.
The respiratory system is by logic and by nature highly exposed to bacterial infections and/or contamination. Respiratory protective devices such as the Cleanspace2 respirator, equipped with a compact, superlight blower unit and powered by a battery, supplied by Kasco srl, protects workers by providing clean, filtered air to the lungs.
Sep 22 2017
Chemical risk in hospitals: how to protect oneself
Chemical risk in hospitals
There are currently various national and international regulations and standards which deal, among other things, with chemical risk in hospitals. The aim of these standards is to protect those who work in a hospital environment and risk contracting diseases due to exposure to chemical agents.
Chemical risk in hospitals mainly concerns laboratory or waste disposal areas. These are the places where the risk of exposure is greater because workers come into contact with chemical reagents which can cause serious health problems. Risk could be due to contact with caustic or irritant substances and/or inhalation of hazardous dust, gases, fumes and vapours. In some cases, workers might be exposed to carcinogenic or toxic substances. This is why it is essential to carry out risk assessments in hospitals and take measures to prevent hazards.
Hospital workers, therefore, need to be provided with personal protective equipment to protect exposed parts of the body, e.g. gloves, gowns, trousers and shoes resistant to hazardous chemicals and substances. Particular attention should also be paid to the face and the respiratory system, by making use of respiratory protective devices. These devices are usually equipped with face masks or helmets and are powered by batteries worn on a belt at the waist. Some models are specifically designed to supply filtered air for over 8 hours without particular wearer discomfort.
Prolonged exposure to chemical agents in hospitals
The respiratory risk in hospitals, where a wide variety of chemical agents are used such as anaesthetics, sterilizers and cyto-static agents, is very high. There are many hospital departments which are exposed to hazards and also many different hazardous substances present. Sometimes, however, one does not take into account that the hospital staff exposed to risks are not only the regular medical and paramedical practitioners, but also the occasional workers such as the cleaners or waste disposal operators. In essence – to better understand the risks of exposure, the dangerous substances employed in the various hospital departments can be classified as follows:
Protection and actual risks to the respiratory system in hostipals
All the substances used in hospitals can contaminate the work environment in the form of gases or vapours and represent a constant source of health risk.
These are the main respiratory hazards which are usually present in hospitals:
Therefore, if we consider that negative GRAM bacteria circulate freely in hospitals and that one in three patients may contract mild to moderate respiratory diseases, we can easily deduce that the exposure of workers who carry out their job in a hospital on a continuous basis is very high and result in serious consequences.
When referring to bacteriological exposure, it is always necessary to distinguish between infection and contamination. In fact, one should remember that contamination is extremely different and can sometimes wear out without further evolution and without leaving trace.
Current workplace health and safety regulations and standards specify a series of protective measures which must be applied in the workplace and these can be schematized as follows:
The respiratory system is by logic and by nature highly exposed to bacterial infections and/or contamination. Respiratory protective devices such as the Cleanspace2 respirator, equipped with a compact, superlight blower unit and powered by a battery, supplied by Kasco srl, protects workers by providing clean, filtered air to the lungs.
By Kasco Srl • Blog •