disinfectors, hand protection should always be used and care should
be taken to avoid reaching directly into the machines, says Ms. Lind.
This safety risk again centers on turnaround pressures. "Reprocessing
techs are often tempted to inspect and assemble sterilized instru-
ments while they're still hot," she adds.
Designate an area in the sterile processing department safely away
from high-traffic areas and work zones where staff can place hot
instruments sets to cool. Finally, your staff should remember that
instruments cool at different rates. For example, says Ms. Lind, ring-
handled instruments in a tray may be cool to the touch, but a weight-
ed speculum in the same tray may still be very hot.
3. Prevent slips and falls
In August 2017, according to OSHA, an employee at Rock Surgery
Center in Derby, Kan., was washing instruments in the decontamina-
tion room. When she turned to take the instruments to another sink,
she slipped and fell, and fractured her humerus. That's not necessarily
surprising, because water often splashes to the floor in front of decon-
tamination sinks.
The importance of proper footwear can't be overstated when it
comes to limiting slipping risks. "Look at the shoes your staff is wear-
ing," says Ms. Boynton. "Make sure all reprocessing techs have on
slip-resistant shoes."
Ms. Lind agrees that wearing proper footwear is important, but also
supports the use of slip-resistant mats to prevent slip-and-fall inci-
dents.
"Some facilities hesitate to add mats because they think dirt and
bacteria collect underneath them," says Ms. Lind. "But there are plen-
ty of products currently on the market that you can run through your
automated instrument washer. They might be just what you need to
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