Overview of health and safety in the health care environment

Health care workers, by the very nature of their work, have both unique and common health hazards in the workplace environment. Many of these hazards are obvious while others are dificult to recognize and include physical risk factors and agents such as communicable diseases, exposure to chemical and biological toxins, carcinogens, ionizing and nonionizing radiation, and ergonomic/human factor hazards; as well as psychological risks, stress-induced disorders, chemical dependency, marital dysfunction, and suicide. Paradoxically, these same workers are responsible for the health care of others. Many of these health problems may also be brought home and be transmitted to their families. Meanwhile, the cost of health insurance for health care practitioners and their employers in the United States is increasing.