Working in an office environment can be hazardous to your health. From sitting on a chair all day to exposure to harmful chemicals, many potential health
hazards can occur in the workplace.
While some health hazards are out of your control, there are many things you can do to help prevent them. Here are seven efficient ways to prevent health hazards
at the workplace:
1. TAKE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING
Health and safety training is an efficient way to prevent health hazards at the workplace for several reasons. First, it helps employees to be aware of potential
hazards in their work environment. This knowledge can then be used to take steps to avoid or control these hazards. Second, health and safety training provides
employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to identify and report potential health hazards, especially those working in medical laboratories with frequent
exposure to blood, chemicals, and other pathogens. This can help to ensure that any problems are quickly addressed and corrected. Finally, health and safety
training helps to create a culture of safety in the workplace. This safety culture can encourage employees to take personal responsibility for their own health and
safety, as well as the health and safety of their coworkers.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is playing a vital role in helping pharmacists who are dealing with stress at the workplace. It launched its new
awareness factsheet 'It's Time to Address Stress' last week.
The factsheet looks at the causes and symptoms of stress in the workplace and provides advice on ways pharmacists can access support and improve working conditions.
The association said that it recognises the well-being services offered by employers and specialist charities such as the PDA's charity partner Pharmacist Support
play an important part in helping pharmacists who may be experiencing stress.
However, the PDA is also committed to working with members to challenge employers to provide well workplaces and to help them to make real impact changes. This can
be done by addressing the causes of stress and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees.
It added: "Under the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required by law to protect employees from harm. Their legal obligations include identifying hazards and risks and implementing ways to reduce or eliminate them. The PDA's new factsheet highlights the importance of employers recognising the hazards causing stress as the health and safety issues they are."
Pharmacies are the lifeblood of community healthcare, being a vital pathway to care and support in every borough of the UK. There are 11,600 pharmacies across
the country, amongst which yours stands proudly. Pharmacies obviously have a duty of care to their patients and customers, and rigorous safety practices surrounding
the safe storage and dispensation of medicine - but that duty of care also extends to fellow staff.
This is to say that health and safety is a paramount concern for any pharmacy or pharmacist, and that great care should always be taken to uphold the highest
possible standards with regard to health and safety. With this in mind, what follows is a refresher on some of the key hazards that could give way to workplace
injury in your pharmacy - and how to mitigate the risk of injury.
Biological Hazards
Biological hazards are ever-present, and prescient in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Though the COVID-19 virus was eventually shown not to be
particularly resilient on surfaces, good practice was still to regularly disinfect surfaces and handles where possible - something which should still be a part of
regular routine in your pharmacy. Likewise, face masks are a solid way to reduce the risk of infection or contamination, particularly where the handing over of
biological samples is concerned.