Healthcare Safety: 4 Ways to Enhance Existing Safety Levels
Safety for both patients and people who make their living at a healthcare facility is on most people’s minds presently. However, safety in all its facets has never been something to ignore or shove to one side to keep up with the workflow. There are different approaches to take to enhancing existing safety levels. Here are 4 things to consider to address nagging concerns or remove potential future problems.
Maintain Fire Prevention Measures
It’s important that fire prevention measures in commercial buildings remain in place and ready to use. The types of systems include fire alarms, automatic sprinkler water systems, security systems, fire extinguishers, and possibly fire blankets too. These systems must be tested regularly on a schedule to ensure they work correctly and can be relied upon.
If the current status is unclear or there’s a potential concern over fire safety levels on the premises, then a night time inspection might be called for. Specialist companies that perform inspections provide peace of mind for conscientious employers. Check out lightingmaintenance.com for more information.
Identification Badges and Access Cards
To help security guards quickly identify those people who are authorized to be in certain areas and determine staff from other people, it’s necessary to take various measures.
Identification Badges
Identification badges issued by the healthcare facility must be worn at all times. It’s unacceptable that these types of IDs get covered up when staff are going about their daily work. Security staff must be cognizant to check on people who look like staff but where an ID badge is not displayed. Verifying that their identity matches the ID on the badge only takes a second too.
Electronic Access Cards
Areas of a healthcare facility must be secured from improper access using electronic access cards. By restricting access, it ensures that only those authorized to be in certain offices, medical wards, or other places are permitted to do so. Some more sophisticated systems keep track of who has swiped in and out of different locations. This information can be useful if a swipe card falls into the wrong hands. Keypad authorization for more secure areas within the facility is useful too.
Looking Out for Suspicious Activity
Security should be on the lookout for people who may be wearing workplace attire but who don’t have the right access. Swipe cards that cannot be successfully read, or keypad authorization that failed several times should raise a red flag.
Sharp Objects – Being More Mindful About Them
In the healthcare profession, especially within hospital facilities, healthcare workers come into contact with sharp objects quite frequently. Whether that’s a blade, needles, and other sharp objects, remind staff to move more slowly and take appropriate care with them. Just doing this avoids many unwanted cuts and other accidents related to them. Also, wherever possible, use hygienic neutral areas where sharp objects can be deposited and picked up to avoid handing them off directly between people.
Safety Policies Provided to All Employees
Keeping the organization safe with effective practices make sense for everyone. Without clear communication of these safety policies and strict adherence to them, injuries and accidents will take place more frequently. Staff training should be provided, and safety policy literature distributed, or online access given so that everyone can study them to avoid future safety problems.
Enhancing safety levels is an ongoing process through improved policies and people sticking to them. By making it a key practice, it instills in everyone how important it is to the organization as a whole.
