Safe Patient Handling

Safety and Health Programs

Can help you and your employees:

• meet OSHA/PESH regulations relating to workplace safety and health issues
• broaden safety skills with practical exercises
• reduce workplace injuries
• improve safety and security awareness on the job

Safety and health affects every employee in the workplace. The Partnership offers training that will help create a safe and healthy environment in which to work. Courses have been designed to provide the skills and information necessary to foster the implementation of safety and health regulations and maintenance of safe work environments

Developing Your Safe Patient Handling Program

GETTING STARTED

Step 1: Establish Your Safe Patient Handling Committee

Recruit participants (50% direct care staff)

Who should be on the Committee?

• Representation on Safe Patient Handling Committees:Patient Care Staff
• Senior Management
• Safety Representative
• Human Resources
• Employee Health
• Facilities
• MaintenanceHousekeeping
• Elect committee chair and co-chair
• Develop meeting schedule and protocols

Step 2: Train the Safe Patient Handling Committee

• Role of the committee
• Hazard assessment techniques
• Selection of equipment
• Organizational change techniques
• Program evaluation methods

Step 3: Write Your Safe Patient Handling Policy

• Administrative practices
• Procedures
• Organizational practices

Step 4: Assess Risks and Needs

• Conduct an analysis of injuries
• Identify and prioritize patient handling risks
• Assess patient mobility needs and capabilities by unit
• Conduct an inventory of patient handling equipment
• Identify environmental and organizational barriers and solutions

Step 5: Development Plan for Determining Equipment Needs

• Who will use the equipment and how will they be trained (e.g., unit-based peer safety leaders)
• Determine equipment locations
• Identify tasks where equipment will be used
• Decide how much of each equipment type is needed

Step 6: Annual Program Evaluation

• Changes in the number of musculoskeletal disorder claims
• Changes in the number of days of lost work due to musculoskeletal disorders from patient handling
• Recommendations to improve the program