Workplace health & safety
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Workplace health & safety · Sep 2015
The Effects of Workload and Working Conditions on Operating Room Nurses and Technicians.
This study was conducted between August 15 and September 20, 2013, to determine the effects of workload and working conditions on operating room (OR) nurses and technicians. The study sample included 74 OR nurses and technicians working in a private university's six hospitals. The Individual Workload Perception Scale and a questionnaire that collected data on risk and environmental factors were used. ⋯ More than 90% of the nurses and technicians had experienced spills or splashing of blood or other body fluids; anesthetic gases and radiation had affected 63.5% and 71.6% of nurses and technicians, respectively; 63.5% reported lumbar pain; and 46.6% defined the work environment as very stressful. The average workload scale score was 32.4 ± 6.2 (min = 11, max = 55). OR nurses and technicians are exposed to many occupational risks.
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Workplace health & safety · Jul 2015
ReviewOccupational-Related Chemical Injuries: A Review of the Literature.
Although few occupational chemical injuries are reported each year, the severity of these injuries increases their importance to occupational health nurses who intervene to prevent these injuries by understanding their nature and etiology. This article is a review of the literature detailing specific occupational chemical injuries as well as a review of common occupational chemical injuries in the United States focusing on pulmonary, ocular, and burn injuries.
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Workplace health & safety · Apr 2015
GuidelineMarijuana in the Workplace: Guidance for Occupational Health Professionals and Employers: Joint Guidance Statement of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Employers are often put in a difficult position trying to accommodate state laws that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes while enforcing federal rules or company drug-use policies based on federal law. To ensure workplace safety as well as compliance with state and federal legislation, employers should review state laws on discrimination against marijuana users and ensure that policies enacted are consistent with the state’s antidiscrimination statutes. Although it appears that in most states that allow medical marijuana use, employers can continue enforcing policies banning or restricting the use of marijuana, this approach may change on the basis of future court decisions. ⋯ The safety of workers and the public must be central to all workplace policies and employers must clearly articulate that legalization of marijuana for recreational or medical use does not negate workplace policies for safe job performance. The evolving legal situation on medical and recreational marijuana requires employers to consult with legal experts to craft company policy and clarify implications of impaired on-duty workers. This changing environment surrounding marijuana use requires close collaboration between employers, occupational health professionals, and legal experts to ensure that workplace safety is not compromised.
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Workplace health & safety · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialEffectiveness of a neck stretching intervention on nurses' primary headaches.
This study examined the effects of a neck stretching exercise intervention on nurses' primary headaches. Using a pretest and posttest two-group design, a total of 60 female staff nurses employed by a medical center in Taiwan were selected by convenience sampling. Participants in the experimental group (N=30) practiced neck stretching exercises while experiencing headaches. ⋯ A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on headache intensity at baseline, and at 30 minutes and 1 hour after intervention. Decrease in headache intensity of the experimental group was significantly larger than that of the control group. Neck stretching exercises is an effective method for treating primary headaches.
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Workplace health & safety · Jan 2015
Violence against nurses in emergency departments in jordan: nurses' perspective.
Violence against nurses in emergency departments (EDs) has become a widespread phenomenon affecting nurses' job satisfaction and work performance. Literature is scarce regarding prevalence rates and causes of violence directed toward nurses in Jordan. The present study investigated violence experienced by Jordanian nurses in EDs and causes of violence from their perspectives. ⋯ According to participants, the most common causes of violence in the ED were crowding and workload (75.9%), and the least was care of patients with dementia or Alzheimer's disease (35.6%). Violence is common in Jordanian EDs, giving rise to many heath and behavioral consequences. Health care administrators are obligated to protect nurses from violent incidents by providing adequate safety measures, beneficial administrative procedures, and sincere efforts to overcome the causes of this phenomenon.