Safe Workplaces
Occupational health nurses (OHNs) play a critical role in creating and sustaining safe workplaces by proactively identifying risks and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. This is achieved by performing comprehensive workplace assessments, evaluating physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards, often in collaboration with our health and safety peers. OHN’s must understand the workers and worker population, as well as the work environment. They play a key role in reviewing injury trends, near-miss reports, and OSHA logs to identify opportunities for education and prevention. Serving as a link between the frontline operation and organizational leadership, OHN’s collaborate with safety and environmental teams to ensure adherence to regulations such as OSHA, ADA, HIPAA, and DOT. By analyzing data, engaging employees in safety initiatives, and continuously evaluating program effectiveness, OHNs drive continuous improvement and foster workplace safety, health, and productivity.
Core responsibility the occupational health nurse can participate in to contribute to workplace safety include but not limited to the following:
- Participate in safety walks, or site walk-throughs.
- Knowledge of essential job functions, including participation in development of physical demands analysis, and job safety analyses.
- Early identification of work-related health risk.
- Oversee occupational health surveillance programs and exposure surveillance.
- Ensure appropriate PPE use.
- Develop and implement injury and illness prevention programs.
- Promote ergonomic solutions.
- Participate in emergency preparedness, such as first aid response and drills.
- Immunization promotion: work required and best practice.
- Promotion of holistic healthcare.
- Advocate for mental health first aid and wellness.
- Ongoing health and safety education to reinforce a culture of safety and accountability.
- Return-to-work coordination from all leaves (work related, disability, medical).
Resources
OSHA- Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Program
NIOSH- National institute of Occupational Safety and Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being
National Safety Council NSC
CDC NIOSH- Total Worker Health
NIH
World Health Organization Promoting healthy, safe and resilient workplaces for all
AAOHN- Workplace violence prevention resources
- Chapters 9-10, Safety Management