Healthcare business owners, like every other employer, have to consider the health and safety of their employees. If you’re running a practice, you have more than the usual accidents and injuries to worry about, as well. There are some unique safety hazards that you might have to consider as well, and here are some of the ways to make sure that you’re taking steps to handle them effectively.

Workplace violence is a serious issue

You might not go into work expecting a fistfight, but there is a higher rate of workplace violence in the healthcare world than in other workplaces. This often comes from patients, whether they are under the influence, experiencing mental health issues, or simply because they are behaving emotionally and irrationally. There are guidelines for preventing and managing potential violence in the workplace that you should ensure is implemented throughout your practice as a part of your policy for dealing with patients.

Be aware of hazardous waste

Of course, there is a lot of waste that is produced in a medical setting and much of it may be hazardous by nature, including things like needles, syringes, contaminated surgical instruments, used gloves, gauzes, as well as things that may contain blood or other body fluid. It’s not a good idea to simply put this in with the other waste or to give it the opportunity to lie out in the open for too long, in case someone comes in contact with it. A hazardous waste container in every room is a must. You should consider working with an industrial waste management company to help you dispose of it as safely and responsibly as possible.

Watch it with the sharps 

Even if they’re not contaminated, sharps, including any scalpels, knives, needles, lancets or others should be treated with the utmost care. Make sure that that there is a policy of announcing when someone is walking with or passing a sharp. You should also make sure that sharps are rarely, if ever, passed from one hand to the other. Instead, place them on a neutral, sanitized area for the other person to pick them up. Even dropping a sharp accidentally can lead to an injury so you must be careful.

Ensure hygiene is treated with the most seriousness

Not only do you have the kinds of hazardous waste that are extremely common in health care settings, but you have to make sure that hygiene is treated with the utmost seriousness throughout the practice. Keep hand-washing stations accessible throughout the whole building and reinforce the importance of regular washing to prevent the spread of infection. You should also be aware of the fact that linens can spread infection quite easily, so getting a medical linen provider to sanitize and supply is important.

Hopefully, the tips above help you create a safer workplace for yourself, your team, and your patients. Accidents can happen, but it’s up to you to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to remain compliant and address risk as best as you can.