Health care workers are exposed to many job hazards. These can include

• Infections
• Needle injuries
• Back injuries
• Allergy-causing substances
• Violence
• Stress

Follow good job safety and injury prevention practices. They can reduce your risk of health problems. Use protective equipment, follow infection control guidelines, learn the right way to lift heavy objects, and find ways to manage stress.

Infectious agents are organisms that are capable of producing infection or infectious disease. They include bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Healthcare workers have a high risk of contact with infectious agents due to the various types of activities involved with their jobs and the possibilities of contamination.

• Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP): HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
• Influenza (FLU)
  • Seasonal
  • Pandemic
  • Avian
  • Swine
• Ebola
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

Many hazardous chemicals are present in healthcare settings, which may pose an exposure risk for healthcare workers, patients, and others. These chemicals are used to do the following:

• Treat patients (e.g., antineoplastic drugs, aerosolized medications, anesthetic gases)
• Clean, disinfect and sterilize work surfaces (e.g., phenolics, quaternary ammonium compounds, bleach) and medical supplies and instruments (e.g., ethylene oxide, glutaraldehyde)
• As a fixative for tissue specimens (e.g., xylene, toluene, formaldehyde)

Surgical smoke generated by lasers and electrosurgical devices during surgical procedures contains many chemical substances, in addition to viruses and bacteria.

Musculoskeletal disorders are a major concern in occupational healthcare. Injuries occur frequently and are often due to repeated handling of patients, which involves heavy manual lifting when transferring or repositioning patients and working in extremely awkward positions. Lifting becomes more difficult by the increasing weight of patients to be lifted due to the obesity epidemic in the United States and an increasing number of elderly people who require assistance with daily living activities.

Home healthcare is a vital industry in this nation that provides needed medical assistance to ill, elderly, convalescent, or disabled persons. Home healthcare workers offer patients the unique opportunity to receive quality medical care in the comfort of their own homes rather than in a healthcare or nursing facility. While home healthcare workers greatly contribute to the well-being of others, they are frequently exposed to a variety of potentially serious or even life-threatening hazards.

Various work-related safety and health hazards exist for dental professionals that may sometimes be overlooked. These not only include exposure from contact with patients, but many other risks such respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders, exposure to radiation, and eye injuries. Education and intervention are needed to reduce the complication of these hazards.

Work stress refers to the harmful physical and emotional effects when job requirements do not match workers’ resources or needs. Work stress can lead to poor mental and physical health. Mental health includes a person’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being and affects how we feel, think, and act.

Why are health workers more likely to experience mental health problems?

Working conditions have always been challenging for healthcare workers, even before the pandemic. Work in healthcare often involves:

• Intensely stressful and emotional situations in caring for those who are sick
• Exposure to human suffering and death
• Unique pressures from relationships with the patient, family members, and employers
• Working conditions with ongoing risk for hazardous exposures such as to COVID-19, other infectious diseases, hazardous drugs, and more
• Demanding physical work and risk of injuries such as from patient handling
• Long and often unpredictably scheduled hours of work. This is often related to as-needed scheduling, unexpected double shifts, and unpredictable intensity of on-call work.
• For many health workers, unstable and unpredictable work lives, and financial strain

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional elements of fatigue, strain, stress, loss, and grief for healthcare workers. Many healthcare workers experienced increased workload in the face of short staffing and shortages in critical personal protective equipment. This led to increasing anxiety and the risk of personal harm. Some healthcare workers report symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder related to the pandemic. Some also reported residual symptoms due to personal infection with COVID-19.

Many healthcare workers place the well-being of others before self. On the surface, this dedication to patients may seem admirable. However, it can ultimately be harmful if it delays or prevents workers from getting the help that they need for their own health and well-being.

Stigma is another factor contributing to mental health concerns among healthcare workers. There is a strong and historical stigma related to healthcare workers seeking care for mental health concerns or substance use disorders.

Healthcare is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. financial system. It employs over 18 million workers. Women represent nearly 80% of the healthcare work force. Healthcare workers face a wide range of hazards on the job including:

• Sharps injuries
• Chemical and drug exposure
• Back injuries
• Latex allergies
• Violence
• Stress

Although it’s possible to prevent or reduce these hazards, healthcare workers continue to experience injuries and illnesses at work. Cases of nonfatal work injury and illness with healthcare workers are among the highest of any industry sector.

Home healthcare workers can be vulnerable as they face an unprotected and unpredictable environment each time they enter a client’s community and home. The spectrum of violence ranges from verbal abuse, to stalking or threats of assault, to homicide.

Verbal abuse from the client, family members, or people in the community is a form of workplace violence. Verbal abuse may be subtle, such as asking for help beyond the scope of the job (such as with cleaning), or it may be obvious, such as complaining about job performance or worker appearance—or even threatening to cause harm.

Latex products are made from natural rubber, and sensitivity can develop after repeated exposure. Limiting exposure to latex can help prevent allergic reactions for both home healthcare workers and their clients.

A work-related musculoskeletal disorder is an injury of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joints, cartilage, bones, or blood vessels in the arms, legs, head, neck, or back that is caused or aggravated by work tasks such as lifting, pushing, and pulling. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling, numbness, and tingling.

Lifting and moving clients create a high risk for back injury and other musculoskeletal disorders for home healthcare workers.

Home healthcare workers may encounter unsanitary homes, temperature extremes, homes without water that is safe to drink, or hostile pets.

Driving from client to client, home healthcare workers are at high risk for motor vehicle-related injuries. Distracted driving, aggressive driving, lack of seatbelt use, driving while tired or after having used alcohol or drugs, poor weather conditions, and poorly maintained vehicles can all contribute to motor vehicle-related injuries.

Needlestick and other sharps injuries are a serious hazard in any healthcare setting. Contact with contaminated needles, scalpels, broken glass, and other sharps may expose healthcare workers to blood that contains pathogens which pose a grave, potentially lethal risk.