Wednesday, April 9, 2014

New Resources Available From OSHA and AIHA on Safe Patient Handling

OSHA and AIHA have recently developed two new resources to provide SH&E professionals with information on safe patient handling.

According to OSHA, many care givers are at risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders from the excessive on-the-job physical demands of manually handling patients. The brochure, Safe Patient Handling: Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nursing Homes addresses the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders among nursing home and residential care workers and explains how implementing a safe patient-handling program can reduce or prevent the number and severity of these  hazards. 

To further help SH&E professionals identify these hazards, AIHA has developed a new “QuickTips” sheet to provide information and steps to protect workers.

For more information about safe patient handling and on protecting healthcare workers, visit OSHA's Healthcare Web page.