Cost Of Germs Case Study

It is our responsibility as employees to take precautionary measures to prevent and control the spread of infection in the workplace. This involves working safely to protect myself, other staff, visitors and individuals from infections.

Dirty equipment – having dirty equipment which is not cleaned between patients can spread infection very fast lots of bacteria can be spread on a blood pressure cuff for example.

The general principals for environmental cleaning are to ensure the hospital environment is as clean as possible to reduce the risk of infection, and that all precautions are taken in accordance to legislation and Healthcare policy’s and guidelines. “To prevent the transfer of micro-organisms which may cause infection, and to prevent the transfer of foreign protein which may cause adverse reaction and pose the risk of spreading diseases e.g. vCJD. “

We have daily cleaning rotas to ensure the session is clean and we are stopping the spread of infection.

Own health or hygiene might pose a risk to individuals or others at work by causing infections, causing illness or causing fatalities, this can be prevented by washing hands thoroughly before preparing food and after going to the toilet, covering mouth/ turning away when coughing, applying/ replacing old plasters, disposing of used tissues, taking sick leave if ill etc.

It is important as employees that we are aware of these so that we can work safely; at work we have information

It’s also good practice to conduct a return to work interview with anyone who has been absent due to ill health after any period of illness. Employees should be asked to explain any inconsistencies between the reason given for their absence and any observed behaviour. Only if an employee cannot give a satisfactory explanation should disciplinary action being taken.

1.1: Employees rights and responsibilities in the relation to the prevention and control of infection are to follow company’s policies and procedures, keep themselves safe and others, report any hazards which could lead to infection, attend relevant courses, use the PPE provided, keeping the work environment clean and tidy and to maintain good personal hygiene

It is the responsibility of employees to ensure they attend all necessary training that the employers provide regarding infection control and prevention. If an employee comes across a hazard such as bodily fluids spilt in an area or a staff member not wearing gloves you must report it immediately to a senior staff member and not ignore it as this may cause infection to spread.

The individual’s health is a stock variable which changes over time. Hence, health decisions in one period not only impact that period but also impact subsequent periods. With paid sick leave, it is easier for an individual can take time off work to recuperate. This has multiple benefits. Firstly, it allows the individual to recuperate before health levels become extremely low. Extremely low levels of health will result in more ER visits and a longer recovery period. Secondly, if the individual has an infectious disease then paid sick leave allows the individual to recover and it prevents the infection from spreading to other people in the organization. Lastly, the improved health (due to recuperation) will increase employee productivity in subsequent periods at work. Hence paid sick leave will reduce ER visits over the course of the individual’s life.

Imagine being born with a severely weak immune system. A person like this is in constant paranoia because the risk of getting sick with pulmonary disease/infection is extremely high and their life expectancy may be lower than someone with a ‘normal’ or healthy immune system. Moving In and out of hospitals is now a way of life for them. The average person does not have to deal with such burdens; but, for a person living with diseases such as cystic fibrosis or a person undergoing chemotherapy, it is a daily reality. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that impairs lung function and causes many infections. People with cystic fibrosis, and other people with immune disorders are likely to be in the hospital many days out of the year because

Everyone gets sick at some point in their life. Ever since we were kids our way of treating a sickness varied from a rub on the tummy to a visit to the doctor. Even something as simple as a band aid on a cut would make us stop crying as a kid. As we get older we start finding new ways to cure a sickness. We start to realize that the rub on the tummy is not as comforting as it used to be. Some of us take medicine to cure the cold while others allow our immune system to take over and do its job.

A health issue includes is making sure that workers are without illness when attending their jobs. If workers are sick with anything contagious to those spreading their illness around the workplace will cause mayhem. An illness can be spread through any source of contact so even if someone is working

It is a legal requirement to ensure there are suitable facilities provided for employees. These facilities must include; a toilet, somewhere to wash, rest and change if necessary (with an adequate supply of paper towels, toilet paper, and soap etc.) and a suitable area to eat and drink during breaks, where food will not get contaminated. The amount of toilets that are available within the building should be reflective of the amount of workers within the organisation, for example, 1-5 workers means there should be at least 1 toilet, whereas 76-100 workers means there should be at least 5 toilets. The law also requires employers to provide clean drinking water which can be easily accessed by all staff. These facilities need to be kept clean and

To control and prevent the spread of infections in the work place and have good personal hygiene at all times making sure you use the right p.p.e and discarding all materials in the correct and safe way.