When most people think about health care settings it is in the context of patients receiving care to improve a medical condition. Accordingly, much of the emphasis in these types of settings is in regard to patient safety. What people may not consider is the steps taken to ensure the safety of those providing that medical care. Many may not be aware that workers in that industry are often injured or become ill in the course of performing their job. These injuries and illness can take many forms and are due to many factors including falls, needle sticks and exposure to hazardous materials.

As is turns out, certain drugs designed to save the lives of patients can be dangerous to the healthy healthcare providers who are regularly around them. These drugs include the anticancer medications that are distributed in chemotherapy sessions. Repeated exposure can lead to medical problems such as rashes or even problems with conceiving.

A specific issue with these drugs is that when they make contact with surfaces it is difficult to completely remove them. No one product is able to clean up the hazardous material making the process cumbersome and increasing the risk that proper cleanup is not being conducted. This means that it is possible that healthcare workers could regularly be exposed to remnants of these drugs.

It is important for employers throughout the nation to do what they can to keep their workers safe. Accordingly, they must continually find ways to make workplaces safer. In the context of healthcare workers exposed to chemotherapy drugs it is vital that methods be adopted for keeping surfaces free of hazardous drugs. Recently, researchers unveiled a new product designed to accomplish the anticancer drug cleanup task in two steps. The process consists of using two towlettes in a specific order.

Whether employers in the medical field in the state of Pennsylvania will obtain this product or others like it, is not clear. Because the failure to take steps to keep workers safe can result not only in workers’ compensation claims but OSHA fines as well, most would likely agree that it would be a good idea.

Source: Health Canal, “Towlettes clean up difficult-to-remove anticancer drugs from surfaces,” Feb. 20, 2013

• Workers’ compensation cases are often complex. Our firm provides counsel in these types of matters. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pennsylvania workplace illness page.