Introduction
Health and safety in hospitals is a five-day course for hospital safety, nursing management, facilities and occupational health functions, leading to a Hospital OSH Risk Register and Staff Safety Programme for a case facility. Hospitals injure their own staff through needlesticks, patient lifts, aggression, chemical exposure and fatigue, while injury data stays scattered across departments and controls remain reactive. Nominees already run ward, department or building safety routines, and the course is taught through inspection walkthroughs of wards, theatres, pharmacies and imaging suites. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this healthcare worker safety course.
Course Objectives
- Profile hospital hazards by department using the WHO health sector hazard categories and rank them in a risk matrix
- Implement sharps injury prevention, a post-exposure pathway and immunisation records that protect clinical and support staff
- Specify exposure controls for cytotoxic drugs, disinfectants, sterilants and anaesthetic gases in pharmacies, theatres and sterile services
- Assess patient handling and workplace violence risks and select hoists, transfer aids, alarms and de-escalation protocols
- Plan radiation and laser awareness, patient evacuation and fatigue controls for night and extended shifts
- Investigate staff injuries and build a hospital OSH risk register, KPI set and staff safety programme
Target Audience
- Hospital safety functions responsible for risk assessments, inspections and staff injury records
- Nursing management functions accountable for ward staffing, patient handling practice and safe shift patterns
- Facilities and estates functions responsible for fire precautions, evacuation routes and building hazards
- Occupational health functions that manage exposure follow-up, immunisation and fitness for work
- Department management in emergency, theatre, pharmacy and imaging units who own local safety controls
Course Outline
Day 1: Hospital Hazard Profile and Healthcare Worker Risk Context
- WHO Health Sector Hazard Categories Applied to Hospital Departments
- Staff Injury and Exposure Data Baseline by Department
- HealthWISE Workplace Checklist for Ward and Theatre Screening
- Duty Holder Map for Safety Officers, Nurse Managers and Facilities
- Hospital Risk Matrix for Clinical and Support Areas
Day 2: Sharps, Biological Exposure and Hazardous Substances
- Safety-Engineered Sharps Devices and Neutral Zone Passing Technique
- Needlestick Post-Exposure Pathway from First Aid to Follow-Up
- Staff Immunisation Register Linked to Hepatitis B Protection
- Cytotoxic Drug Handling Controls in Pharmacy and Oncology Units
- Disinfectant, Sterilant and Anaesthetic Gas Exposure Control Plans
Day 3: Safe Patient Handling, Violence Prevention and Floor Hazards
- Patient Handling Risk Assessment with Hoists and Slide Sheets
- Ceiling Hoist and Lateral Transfer Equipment Selection Criteria
- Violence Risk Assessment for Emergency and Psychiatric Units
- De-Escalation Protocol, Alarm Systems and Post-Incident Staff Support
- Slip, Trip and Fall Controls for Wet Clinical Floors
Day 4: Radiation, Fire Evacuation, Fatigue and Injury Investigation
- ALARA Principle and Dosimetry Awareness in Imaging Suites
- Laser Safety Officer Role and Nominal Hazard Zone Controls
- Horizontal and Progressive Patient Evacuation Planning for Wards
- Fatigue Risk Management for Night Shifts and Extended Rosters
- Staff Injury Investigation Using Barrier Analysis and Witness Interviews
Day 5: Hospital Inspection Walkthrough and OSH Risk Register Build
- Inpatient Ward and Theatre Walkthrough Against HealthWISE Checkpoints
- Pharmacy, Imaging and Emergency Department Hazard Walkthrough Findings
- Healthcare OSH KPI Set with Leading and Lagging Indicators
- Staff Safety Committee Charter and Annual Programme Calendar
- Hospital OSH Risk Register and Staff Safety Programme Completion
Skills You Will Gain
- Hospital Hazard Profiling
- Sharps Exposure Management
- Hazardous Drug Handling Oversight
- Patient Transfer Equipment Selection
- Aggression Risk Control
- Dependent Patient Evacuation Planning
- Shift Fatigue Risk Control
- Staff Injury Investigation
Why Attend This Course
- Return with a Hospital OSH Risk Register and Staff Safety Programme for a case facility, ready for the hospital safety committee
- Decide which departments need hoists, safety-engineered sharps or violence alarms first, based on injury and exposure data
- Avoid lost shifts, exposure claims and evacuation failures by closing gaps found in ward and theatre walkthroughs
- Brief ward teams, porters and facilities staff on post-exposure steps, de-escalation and night-shift fatigue controls
Conclusion
Once back at work, the participant can present the Hospital OSH Risk Register and Staff Safety Programme to the hospital safety committee and to senior nursing and facilities management, who use it to set priorities for equipment spending, immunisation follow-up and department inspections. The KPI set gives occupational health and safety functions a shared view of needlestick, handling, assault and exposure trends. After the first quarter of use, the committee should review whether leading indicators moved, which controls were delivered and which departments need a repeat walkthrough.
