Healthcare workers face a wide range of workplace hazards, including ergonomic and needlestick injuries, chemical exposures, hazardous drugs and radiation, airborne diseases, latex allergy, and violence.
The goal of Safe Work, Safe Care is to help achieve safe and healthy work environments for healthcare workers.
Safe Work, Safe Care promotes workers and managers working together and stresses the role of joint labor/management health and safety committees that rely on group problem-solving strategies to identify, analyze, and prevent hazards.
Safe Work, Safe Care provides training using the Small Group Activity Method (SGAM). SGAM is a participatory training method that develops the problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills of participants. Training promotes the “systems of safety” approach to health and safety that is supported by comprehensive reporting of injuries, efficient and thorough follow-up, and consistent evaluation.
With the Health Professionals and Allied Employees, Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers, NJ State Nurses Association, other healthcare unions, and other organizations, WEC has trained hundreds of workers about preventing healthcare hazards.
Safe Work, Safe Care Topics Include:
- Preventing Workplace Violence in Healthcare
- Safe Patient Handling
- Strategic Planning for Joint Health & Safety Committees
- Strategic Planning for Union Health & Safety Committees
- Systems of Safety Approach to Health and Safety
- Chemical Hazards & Material Safety Data Sheets
- Hazardous Drugs
- Reducing Environmental Hazards in Healthcare
- Needlestick Prevention
- Post-Exposure Procedures
Safe Work, Safe Care 2020-2021:
Materials developed include:
WEC can also provide customizable training on other health and safety topics for your workplace. In some cases, there may be a nominal fee. For more information or to schedule training, please contact Cecelia Gilligan Leto at 609-882-6100, Ext. 308 or cgilliganleto @ njwec.org (no spaces).