Abstract
Hospitals develop safety plans to teach employees to work safely with hazards, to maintain a safe patient care environment, and to enable appropriate response to emergencies affecting the healthcare facility. This article explains the process used to create the Department Specific Safety and Infection Control Plan at United Hospital, St. Paul, MN.
The content of a safety plan depends on several factors including standards, guidelines, and regulations set by federal, state, and local agencies. Additionally, healthcare facilities are inherently departmentalized and use many job classifications. Employees have a wide range of independent actions and encounter a variety of hazards. This creates the need for a standardized departmental safety plan that conveys specific departmental procedures and includes the material that will meet regulatory requirements. The safety plan template is used by departments to guide practice and serves as a resource. The template is also a valuable education tool and can decrease training time. This article explains the process used to create the Department Specific Safety and Infection Control Plan at United Hospital of St. Paul, MN, a 400-bed facility within the Allina Health System.
When the Safety Management Program at United Hospital was reviewed, it became apparent that compliance with the hospital's mandate for department safety plans was sporadic and inconsistent. Departments were not actively participating in the development of viable department safety plans-a requirement of both the hospital's accrediting agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Duplication in training efforts existed between hospital-wide training and training occurring at the departmental level. In addition, it was recognized that to achieve 100% compliance and influence practice, an increased knowledge of key training elements, more direction, and a clarification of responsibility were needed.
These revelations coincided with an impromptu visit from OSHA, which necessitated an immediate response to the issue. The action at that time involved hiring an outside consultant to aid in the development of department-specific safety plans. Although 100% compliance was achieved to meet OSHA's requirement, the process could not stand the test of time. In addition, changes in the care delivery environment occurred more rapidly than plans could be revised. It was clear that a consistent, manageable process of providing safety information and training was needed.