Research Project Summary

Year Funded: 2010 Budget: 193,162 Funding Agency: WorkSafeBC
Title: Development of an Integrated Risk Assessment and Risk Management Tool for Health Care in BC. Phase 1 – Assessment of Chemical Exposure Hazards Encountered by Health Care Workers in BC
Category: Occupational Disease, Injury and Health Services
Subcategory: Occupational Disease
Keywords: Health care, risk assessment, chemical exposure, nurse
Link to research website:

Issue:

Healthcare workers encounter many different chemical agents in their work environment, some of which are known to be a risk for cancer, asthma, dermatitis and other diseases. Exposures to chemicals occur through diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, cleaning, sterilization procedures, and laboratory analysis as well as through housekeeping, laundry and maintenance related activities. To date there is little information on the extent to which healthcare workers develop diseases from exposure to the chemicals they work with. This research will help bridge that knowledge gap.

Objectives:

The goal of the proposed research is to link information from existing sources to create a risk assessment / risk management tool to assess these risks. The tool will also be used to recommend strategies to control or eliminate those risks. The initial focus of the tool will be on the exposure of nurses to five chemicals that are commonly used in hospitals.

Anticipated Results:

It is anticipated that the initial tool development will capture nurses’ exposures to five commonly used chemicals in healthcare – identifying who is at risk and where controls are needed. It is further expected that the tool will provide healthcare decision makers with leading indicators of risks common to the healthcare environment, to support their strategies to prevent work-related illness and injuries.

Investigators:

George Astrakianakis (University of British Columbia)