Overview

Many hospitals have high rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses, and safe patient handling programs can reduce injuries, like musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Reducing injuries not only helps workers, but also will improve patient care and the bottom line. For hospitals that are considering developing or refining a comprehensive safe patient handling program to protect workers and patients, having the right data, evidence, examples and tools can help ensure success. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a series of online resources to help hospitals develop and implement safe patient handling assessments, policies, procedures, programs, training and patient education.

The webinar will cover patient handling issues at inpatient health care facilities and present abatement solutions.

Learning Objectives

• • Recognize ergonomic and musculoskeletal (MSD) injury hazards that health care employees may be exposed to when working with patients
• • Highlight the prevalence of patient handling related injuries in health care through review of BLS injury and illness data
• • Describe OSHA’s 6/25/15 Inpatient Healthcare Settings memo in terms of evaluation of MSDs related to patient handling
• • Discuss the maximum recommended weight limit for manual lifting of patients and limitations
• • Learn about resources available for employees and employers

Target Audience

This program is geared towards facility managers safety and health professionals, risk managers, nurses, quality directors/managers and other hospital staff.

Speaker Brian Oberbeck, MS, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, OSHA Denver Area Office

Oberbeck has been a compliance officer with OSHA for more than 16 years. Prior to OSHA, Brian was a Safety Specialist with the University of Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Colorado State University. He has degrees in chemistry and environmental health (industrial hygiene).