Handbook of Modern Hospital Safety

It is ironic that those whose job it is to save lives often find themselves injured in the course of performing their duties. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers have higher injury rates than agriculture workers, miners, and construction workers. The Handbook of Modern Hospital Safety, Second Edition covers exposure paradigms and offers solutions and models of protection for these individuals, presenting the latest science and intervention strategies that have proven successful in the scientific community.

Extensively revised, this second edition explores a host of hazardous conditions that are faced by healthcare workers in today’s hospitals, including:

• infection and infectious diseases



• back injuries



• needlesticks



• workplace violence



• slip, trip, and fall injuries



• ergonomic issues



• electrocautery smoke



• toxic drugs



• ethylene oxide



• aldehydes



• pentamidine



• ribavirin

In this long-awaited update to William Charney’s seminal work, experts from leading hospitals, universities, and health organizations explore these health risks and suggested preventive measures, discuss recent research and new information on technology to protect workers, cover new legislation and regulations, and provide insight into the philosophy of creating a safe hospital culture.