Health care facilities are potentially hazardous workplaces that expose their workers to a wide range of hazards. Generally, it is assumed among healthcare workers and the general public that the greatest occupational health and safety risk faced by healthcare workers is infection resulting from exposure to blood and body fluids as well as infected air-borne aerosols. Skin contact, infectious fluids (via broken skin, mucous membrane) and droplets aerosols from patients expose healthcare workers to infectious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and tuberculosis among many others.
The emergence of highly infectious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the H1N1 Influenza has the tendency to increase the infection risk dramatically. In addition to these, health workers are confronted with physical, mechanical, chemical, ergonomic and psychosocial hazards. For instance, lifting and rolling immobilized or disabled patients exposes workers especially nurses to back injuries. Besides, on call duty, high work load, verbal abuse from disgruntled patients, problematic work relationships, frustrations due to limited resources, poor remuneration among others, exposes healthcare workers to psychosocial hazards such as stress, depression and burnout syndrome.
It is in view of the fact that the health worker is the most important resource in the process of rendering health care that the sector considers prudent to provide a safe and healthy working environment as far as reasonably practicable, for its staff in line with the Kenya constitution 2010 and the Occupational Safety and health Act 2007.
The implementation of occupational health services expected to be put in place will largely depend on training in occupational health and on-going information provision for staff. It is in this regard that this policy guideline on Occupational Safety and Health for health workers outlines evidence-based measures for adoption by health service managers and staff of institutions in the health sector both within the public and private sub-sectors. Similarly, on-going monitoring of programmes including regular audits is a must if performance of services is to improve progressively.
The importance of ensuring the availability of financial resources to make the system function cannot be overemphasized. It is hoped that the Ministry of health at the national level as well as county and sub county heads and facility managers will include specialist training in occupational health for their staff in their list of priorities and consequently make necessary budgetary allocations towards staff training, establishment of health and safety committees and securing tools necessary for efficient operationalization of OSH services on an on-going basis.
Mr. James Macharia
CABINET SECRETARY