Health and safety
standards and recommendations for safe, effective, quality care. Current legislation, regulations and guidance impose specific requirements on both employers and employees to comply with various regulations to avoid, assess and reduce manual handling risks in the workplace, covering a wide range of activities. These regulations include; Health and Safety
at Work Act (HSWA 1974), Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR 1999), amended in 2003 and 2006, and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR 1992), amended in 2002, defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE 2016). The MHOR (1992) place a requirement on
employers to undertake manual handling risk assessments across four specific areas: task, load, working environment, and individual capacity of the practitioner. Current guidelines state that a system should be in place to manage safe patient positioning in the perioperative setting (AfPP, 2022) for perioperative procedures. This ensures patient safety, reduces the risk of injury and facilitates optimum exposure of the operative procedure. Attention to patient comfort, dignity and safety concerning tissue viability, circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal and neurological structures is required (AfPP, 2022). These regulations guide employers in reducing the risk of manual handling incidents. These regulations also require the employee
to cooperate on health and safety matters and inform the employer of any hazardous handling activities that arise, to ensure others are not put at risk from manual handling incidents (HSE, 2020). The individual capability regulation introduced
by the MHOR (1992) introduced the requirement for organisations to be aware of, and consider, the individual capabilities of people undertaking manual handling operations. Most hospitals/ organisations now employ manual handling advisors to comply with instruction and training requirements for manual handling of equipment and associated risks. There has been a need to emphasise the risks posed by bariatric patients for all types of surgery and associated risks. There has been a greater emphasis on safer handling techniques and the development of manual
60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00%
Yes No
Fig 1. Do you have a certified specialist theatre manual handling trainer conducting training within your operating theatre departments?
54% 53% 52% 51% 50% 49% 48% 47% 46% 45% 44%
Yes No
Fig 2. Do you have bespoke specialist competencies in manual handling aids/equipment within your environment?
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Fig 3. Do you use specific manual handling equipment in theatres? Yes
No
handling equipment overall. There is a statutory requirement for all staff to undergo manual handling training upon commencing employment and to have annual refresher sessions (HSE, 2016). All staff should be familiar with the manual handling policy, equipment, and techniques in use in their workplace.
The operating theatre is recognised as a high-risk, hazardous environment with greater emphasis needed on specialist practical training and competencies, imposing specific challenges when handling and moving patients.
Specialist manual handling training Over half of the practitioners surveyed (54.98%) had a certified specialist theatre manual handling trainer conducting training within their operating theatres (Fig 1). Specialist manual handling training is essential, with specific knowledge of the physiological implications of individual patient needs and equipment used across various specialties. Numerous pieces of equipment are required within operating theatres, such as operating table attachments that are often heavy and awkward to manoeuvre in confined spaces. Fig 2 demonstrates that out of 502 responses in this survey, 52.99% of practitioners stated they
July 2023 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 23 Responses
Total respondents for this question; 502
Responses
Total respondents for this question; 502
Responses
Total respondents for this question; 502
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