Minimizing hazardous exposures in the healthcare environment

Consider the following scenarios: A central processing employee suffers eye and respiratory irritation from exposure to a glutaraldehyde solution while cleaning an endoscope. Biomedical engineering personnel contact blood and other body fluids while repairing contaminated dialysis units. A food service employee contracts TB while serving meals within a TB-isolation ward. These are all examples of exposures to hazards in a hospital. What do they have in common? They could have easily been prevented. Hazards exist almost everywhere in a hospital. In a typical workday, a healthcare worker (HCW) may circulate to many different hospital locations, encountering numerous hazards--some familiar and some not. Thus, it's important that every HCW is aware of potential exposures, has access to relevant information, and is trained on protective equipment so that the risk of an adverse exposure may be greatly reduced. This article is directed toward the hospital employee. While not an all-inclusive, step-by-step guide to the hazards found within a particular department, this article is meant to raise awareness. It contains basic information on hazards, the consequences of exposure, and ways in which HCWs can protect themselves as well as patients and visitors. This information is presented to help educate both new and existing staff and to prevent unnecessary exposures.