But there's another factor at work, as well.
"There's the already high potential for injury coupled with the fact
that there's an almost constant pressure for quick turnaround," says
Natalie Lind, CRCST, CHL, FCS, the education director for the
International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel
Management (IAHCSMM) in Chicago, Ill. "And that pressure definitely
adds to the risk for injury."
In addition to creating a culture where sterile processing techs don't
feel the need to put turnaround times ahead of their own well-being,
you should focus on the areas where injuries are most likely to occur
and put stronger safety protocols in place.
1. Safe lifting
In June 2017 at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, according
to a workplace injury report (osha.gov/severeinjury) from the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a worker
was pushing a loaded instrument cart into an autoclave when the
cart's movable legs became unlocked, causing it to fall and strike the
worker, who suffered a broken tibia. Automatic loaders now let staff
load instruments easily and safely into sterilizers and washers, remov-
ing most of the risk from the process.
However, there's no way to avoid all of the strenuous lifting sterile pro-
cessing techs must do to pick case carts and move instrument trays. You
must go beyond reminding techs to bend at the knees and avoid lifting
heavy instruments and supplies with their backs. Avoiding lifting-related
injuries demands setting your staff up for success, particularly when it
comes to heavier items.
"We had one instrument box for ortho cases that weighed 41
pounds," says Teresa Boynton, MS, OTR, CSPHP, a healthcare
ergonomics expert and clinical consultant from the Denver, Colo.,
6 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
