Occupational Health for Health Care Providers

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

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For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Health care workers are exposed to many job hazards. These can include :

• Infections
• Needle injuries
• Back injuries
• Allergy-causing substances
• Violence
• Stress

Follow good job safety and injury prevention practices. They can reduce your risk of health problems. Use protective equipment, follow infection control guidelines, learn the right way to lift heavy objects, and find ways to manage stress.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Start Here

• Healthcare (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Hospital-Wide Hazards (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Related Issues

• About Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Food and Drug Administration)
• Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Exposure to Stress: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - PDF
• Hazardous Drugs (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Hospital-Wide Hazards: Biological Hazards -- Infectious Diseases (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Hospital-Wide Hazards: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Hospital-Wide Hazards: Workplace Violence (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, 2016 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention for Healthcare Workers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Surgical Suite (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Specifics

• Hepatitis B Vaccination Protection (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - PDF
• Occupational Exposure to HIV: Advice for Health Care Workers (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Safe Patient Handling (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Statistics and Research

• HIV and Occupational Exposure (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Worker Safety in Hospitals (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Infection Control (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Nosocomial (Hospital-Acquired) Infections (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Occupational Exposure (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: A multi-institutional assessment of eye lens dose in nuclear medicine clinics.
• Article: Occupational radiation exposure dose and associated factors among radiology personnel in...
• Article: Bringing Workers Safety, Health, and Well-Being Front and Center in Public...
• Occupational Health for Health Care Providers -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Also in Spanish
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Patient Handouts

• Personal protective equipment (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish