Hazard Alert: Avoiding Hazards During Healthcare Construction

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR--The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Construction Workers: If you do construction, renovation or maintenance work at a hospital, nursing home, doctor's office, or other healthcare facility you may come in contact with: Germs; Mold; Radiation. These hazards can make you sick. Patients' Risks: You aren't the only one at risk! The dust, mold, or germs stirred up during construction work can make patients sick or worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 75,000 patients died from infections they got while in a healthcare facility in 2011. To protect patients, hospitals and other healthcare facilities should perform an Infection Control Risk Assessment (or ICRA) before construction work begins. The ICRA helps construction employers know what steps should be taken to isolate the construction area from the rest of the healthcare facility to keep patients safe. Get Trained: Ask your employer or union for training. CPWR and NABTU, for example, have designed an 8-hour ICRA Awareness Training Program for construction workers. The NABTU program teaches workers how infections spread, how to establish a containment area and work without disrupting patient care, and much more. Protect yourself ... 1) Germs: Sick patients leave germs behind on hospital equipment and supplies such as used needles and scalpels. To protect yourself: AVOID contact with gurneys, laundry, wheel-chairs, beds, and "sharp" objects such as needles. WASH your hands regularly with hot water and soap. MAKE SURE your vaccinations are up to date. 2) Mold: You may find mold around sinks and drains, behind drywall, or above ceiling tiles. Breathing in mold spores can cause allergic reactions. Some molds can even cause serious lung infections. If you find mold in your work area, report it to your supervisor. Employers must provide workers who come into contact with mold with personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, coveralls, and respirators. 3) Radiation: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and X-Ray machines are common in healthcare facilities. The radiation used by these machines is not dangerous when controlled by medical staff, but too much can hurt you. Be aware of your surroundings. If one of these machines is located near the work area, check with your supervisor to make sure the area where you will be working is safe. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Construction Industry Fungi Hazardous Substances Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Promotion Occupational Health Radiation Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Construction Hazard Communication Health Care Facilities Health Promotion Infection Control Molds Radiation Hazards Training
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Hazard Alerts
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055028
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2018 Jan; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:71757196721376738899c930245fd88510572b0c800d506a4453eabec0340ca5ae4c77269beec59df5cea846afb744b19b598529b6f84ef52db1b2e5aa1bfb6d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212894/cdc_212894_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 124.75 KB ]