Splish Splash: Protecting Healthcare Workers from Splashes Containing Blood Borne Pathogens
Jacie Volkman, MPH, CIC
Workplace safety in the healthcare setting focuses a lot on the mantra of “trips, slips, falls and sharps.” One significant daily risk that often is ignored is splashes.
Should caring for patients in a healthcare setting be considered a dangerous occupation? Far beyond slips, trips and falls, should we be giving healthcare workers hazard pay for putting themselves at risk of acquiring a fatal disease by virtue of the work they are doing?
If a hospital does everything they can to protect their employees, then the answer to these questions is “No.” But are healthcare organizations really doing all they can? Several studies on healthcare exposures would lead one to believe they are not.
