Opinion: Balancing patient and worker safety

Published: 4-Mar-2015

Failing to protect the well-being of workers can have unforeseen legal and financial consequences

The recent study by Manchester University on the rising incidence of dermatitis in healthcare workers is a reminder that workers deserve protection just as much as patients.

It also sets a challenge to come up with less irritating sanitising products, along with the need for healthcare facilities to implement practices that prevent and treat irritant contact dermatitis – but without affecting the important progress and benefits that the recent focus on improved hand hygiene has achieved for patients.

A recent UK court case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) outlines the importance of monitoring worker health in the eyes of the law. The court decided that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust should be fined after failing to take measures to prevent or monitor at least 23 cases of dermatitis among staff between 2007 and 2012. The Trust pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation when it appeared before Torquay Magistrates in February.

As a result, cases of work-related dermatitis were not picked up by the Trust and the issue was not seen as a priority. Contact dermatitis is, in some respects, a health issue that has obvious symptoms and can be rapidly diagnosed.

Casella highlights that many workers in various public or industry sectors can be subject to working practices that give rise to much longer term and difficult to diagnose health issues – respiratory illnesses or hearing loss, for example. It points out the dangers of not monitoring workers effectively today, which could leave companies facing private court actions and hefty fines later down the line.

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