Question

After reviewing the material on workplace safety, as a healthcare manager, what are TWO things that "keep you up at night" or are a concern to you? How would you work to make your clinic or organization safer? What suggestions could you offer to your colleagues who are also struggling with these issues?

Answer 1

As a Healthcare Manager, two things that will be of major concern for me are :

1) Fire and Electrical Hazards

2) Dangerous Visitors and Criminals

How to make your organization safer

In order to make my organization a safer place to work, I will do the following things.

1) Firstly, I will come to terms with reality. I simply mean that I will not presume that my workplace is already safe and secure. I will always keep in mind that any dangerous act can happen anytime. For example, my workplace might be affected by a criminal act, violence, or any natural calamity. I will also make sure that this is communicated to all employees.

2) I will be conscious of any suspicious behavior and will not hesitate to challenge it. I will spread the same awareness to other employees in the organization too.

3) I will make sure that the organization gets an expert advice with respect to workplace security. If required, I will also suggest hiring of agencies.

4) I will develop a crisis management plan with the help of the legal department and it will be documented as a manual. Moreover, I will also set up a crisis management team. I will also make sure that employees understand what all may be the crisis situation and how to deal with them.

5) I will make sure that the drills are performed either quarterly or half-yearly for each of the crisis situations. This will give the employees a hands-on experience.

6) I will ensure that all employees receive a basic self-defense and safety course.

7) I will ensure that safety systems like security personnel, alarm system, color codings, and evacuation maps are implemented in the workplace.

So, I will give the same suggestion to my colleagues who are struggling with safety issues.