ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH &

SAFETY IN THE
OPERATING THEATRE

ASH EHS VISION

To be considered as a safe and healthy
environment that provides appropriate working
situations for all employees, patients, visitors and
contractors as evidenced by having the lowest EHS
incidents as compared to other hospitals in the
UAE and internationally

ASH EHS MISSION

To achieve excellence in Enviromental,
Health and Safety performance involving our
employees, stakeholders, patients, visitors
and contractors.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT
WHAT TYPE SECURITY INCIDENTS YOU SHOULD REPORT?
Any injury or potentially dangerous or threatening situations involving
Staff, Patients or Visitors (Aggressive persons, bomb threat, child
abduction, theft, lost and found items, suspected items like
weapons/illegal drugs
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU NOTICED SOMEONE SUSPICIOUS / IF
SOMEONE IN THE HOSPITAL BECOMES DISRUPTIVE
- a CODE BLACK should be reported to emergency hotline 7777 or notify
security (5555) from your nearest extension

 WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU DISCOVER ANY LOSS OF

HOSPITAL OR PERSONAL PROPERTY?
Report the incident immediately to your supervisor on duty , then
call 5555 to the security on duty and fill up completely the Lost and
Found form

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY CODES
RED Fire
BLUE Cardiac Arrest
YELLOW External Disaster
BLACK Aggressive Person
ORANGE Internal Disaster / Mass Casualties
WHITE ALL CLEAR

 EMERGENCY HOTLINE NUMBER

7777
SECURITY ON DUTY NUMBER 5555

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT

WHO MAINTAINS OUR MEDICAL EQUIPMENT?
All clinical equipment are maintained by the BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT. For any clinical equipment issues, call the said department
(ext. 4204 / 4205)
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE EQUIPMENT IS WORKING PROPERLY?

The user should check the equipment before using

* The biomedical engineering department does a periodic inspection
of equipment and maintains records. They also ensure the
equipment is tagged when it is functioning according to
manufacturers specifications.

 It is also calibrated , has functional and audible alarms (as appropriate),

and is safe for use.
The equipment tag indicates the date it was checked
Equipment included in the management program is given a preventive
maintenance inspection @ regular intervals
ALL EQUIPMENT MUST BE DISINFECTED PRIORTO BEING SERVED BY
THE BIOMEDICAL DEPARTMENT

 WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET YOUR EQUIPMENT TO BE REPAIRED?

It should be tagged
Disinfect and remove equipment from use area and store it in a
secured place
File a work order form with the Biomedical engineering department

ERGONOMIC SAFETY PROGRAM

This program was developed since injuries from repetitive
motion (cumulative trauma injuries) and static position
(eye and neck strain) have became increasingly common in
the workplace

WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS AFFECTING EYE STRAIN IN THE

WORKPLACE?

Glare
Brightness or luminance (difference between what is being
looked and its immediate environment)
Distance of the object to the eyes
Workers Vision or corrective lenses

HOW CAN I MINIMIZE THE RISKS OF MUSCLE

STRAIN AT WORK
Staying in one position for too long or repetitively making the
same motion are the chief causes of neck or muscle strains,
stiff muscles and other related injuries
Take the time to move your body at least every 20-30 minutes
Try to vary your tasks (opportunity to use other muscles)
Organize your work area, so you dont have to stretch your
arms in uncomfortable ways to reach something

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA

SHEET (MSDS)

WHAT IS MSDS / SDS?

An important component of product stewardship and
occupational safety and health. It is a file which provides a
complete and detailed information about a hazardous
material.
SDSs are a widely used system for cataloging information
on chemicals, chemical compounds, and chemical
mixtures. SDS information may include instructions for the
safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular
material or product. The SDS should be available for
reference in the area where the chemicals are being stored

 The SDS follows a 16 section format which is internationally

agreed and for substances especially, the SDS should be
followed with an Annex which contains the exposure
scenarios of this particular substance

The 16 sections are as follows:

SECTION 1: Identification of the

substance/mixture and of the
company/undertaking

SECTION 9: Physical and chemical

properties
SECTION 10: Stability and reactivity

SECTION 2: Hazards identification SECTION 11: Toxicological information

SECTION 3: Composition/information
SECTION 12: Ecological information
on ingredients SECTION 13: Disposal considerations
SECTION 5: Firefighting measures
SECTION 14: Transport information

SECTION 6: Accidental release

measure

SECTION 7: Handling and storage

SECTION 8: Exposure
controls/personal protection

SECTION 15: Regulatory information

SECTION 16: Other information

CHEMICAL SPILLS
Any incident involving the spill/release of hazardous
chemicals, mixtures of such chemicals, or hazardous waste
that sometimes requires the intervention of spill cleanup
specialists to contain and remove the spilled material
safely.

It can be a MINOR or a MAJOR spill

MINOR SPILL
an event that can be handled safely without the assistance of
EHS or emergency response personnel.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MINOR SPILL?
Alert others in the immediate area.
Leave the immediate area without contaminating other individuals
and environments.
If clothing is contaminated, remove, folding contamination inward,
and treat as waste.
Refer to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and appropriate cleanup guides
for chemical spills.

 Wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) appropriate for the material

spilled (e.g., safety goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc.).
Confine the spill to a limited area. Barricade and isolate the area to
prevent spread of contamination. USE THE CHEMICAL SPILL KIT
Pick up broken glass with tongs, forceps, or dustpan. Place in a
puncture-resistant container.
Be aware of inhalation hazards. Use appropriate neutralizer,
disinfectant, and absorbents to mitigate the spill.
Place spill cleanup materials in a container.
Wash arms, hands, and face with soap and water.

MAJOR SPILL
an event that cannot be handled safely without the assistance of EHS
or emergency response personnel, including all events where a person
is injured or contaminated.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MAJOR SPILL?
Before contacting the EHS / Emergency Response Personnel, be
prepared to answer the following questions:

 What was released?

How much was released? (estimated volume)
Time when release occurred and is it continuing?
Location of release?
Are there injuries?
Is there damage to facilities?

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MAJOR SPILL?

Attend to injured or contaminated persons.
Alert personnel in the area of the spill to evacuate the immediate area.
Call EHS personnel / ERT
Have a person knowledgeable of the incident and the material spilled available to
assist emergency personnel.
Refer to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and appropriate cleanup guides for chemical
spills.
If spilled material is flammable, turn off heat and ignition sources.
Close doors to contain vapors and prevent personnel entry.
If spill is radioactive, have potentially contaminated persons stay in one area until
monitored.

BLOOD SPILL
Blood spills or other human body fluids that occur inside or in the
outside environment need to be decontaminated to prevent the
potential transmission of communicable disease.
The circumstances associated with blood spills can obviously vary
greatly depending on the volume and type of contact surface.
A small amount of blood, if splashed, can cover a large surface area. A
large volume, if undisturbed on a flat surface, can pool in a relatively
small area.

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A BLOOD SPILL?

KNOW THE LOCATION AND USE OUR BLOOD AND OTHER BODY FLUIDS SPILL KIT
The individual(s) cleaning the blood spill need to use the proper personal protective
equipment (PPE), (e.g. water impervious gloves, outerwear, goggles, etc.)
Spray the blood contaminated surfaces with a 1-10 solution of bleach and water.
Absorb and remove all traces of the spill with paper towels or other acceptable
materials (Micro-encapsulation absorbent). Be careful not to contaminate the outside of
the spray bottle.
Re-spray the cleaned area with the bleach solution and allow to air dry.
Place all waste materials, including disposable PPE, into a plastic autoclavable
biohazard bag. Be careful not to contaminate the outside of the bag.

FIRE SAFETY