The utilisation of risk-based frameworks for managing healthcare waste: a case study of the National Health Service in London

Alex Akpieyi, Terry Tudor, Cleber Dutra

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The management of waste from healthcare facilities can potentially pose a significant risk. In the UK, there are a number of increasingly stringent pieces of legislation and policies to mitigate against these risks. Using the taxonomy of organisational change (Vuuren, 1998), this study evaluated the inherent risks within the reported practices and policies of 21 Acute Care Trusts within the National Health Service (NHS) in London, England. The most frequently occurring exposures involved contact with sharps, infectious agents and hazardous substances; personal injuries during waste handling; manual handling injuries; slips, trips and falls; and striking against or being struck during procedures. Approximately 65% of the reported exposures occurred within the wards and for this location, highly significant correlations were found between nurses and contact with sharps. The implications of these findings for risk management are also discussed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)127-132
    Number of pages6
    JournalSafety Science
    Volume72
    Early online date25 Sept 2014
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2015

    Keywords

    • Vuuren Taxonomy
    • medical waste
    • health and safety
    • risk management

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The utilisation of risk-based frameworks for managing healthcare waste: a case study of the National Health Service in London'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this