Occupational accidents: Safety and health promotion in Hospital Pharmacy

ABSTRACT The cost of accidents at work translates into both financial and non-monetary terms. An accident at work is considered to be the result of any injury to the employee by a violent or unexpected incident during or because of work. The factors that cause accidents at work are related to the materials being used and the technical equipment involved, the working environment and working conditions, as well as the human factor itself. In an environment dealing with health the factors are further categorized as physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial. Within the hospital pharmacy a desirable action plan for safety and health at work focuses on a well functioning environment operating within strict specifications, continuous training of all staff involved, differentiated waste management and rotation of responsibilities for the protection of mental and physical health during repetitive work. The effort in implementing workplacehealth and safety promotion programs is always and primarily aimed at achieving maximum productivity of the workforce. The action plan focuses on adapting the work to the capabilities of the staff by checking their suitability, and each time requires systematic study and methodologies to achieve the desired results