How do you make health workers’ safety a higher-level policy issue? (continued)
Global alliances
The convening power of international organizations and professional associations, coupled with effective systems for international knowledge-sharing, is an important means for leveraging political support of OSH issues. Taking global standards to practice, the Positive Practice Environment (PPE) Campaign was initiated in 2008 as a multiyear, multistakeholder alliance with the core partners—International Council of Nurses, International Hospital Federation, International Pharmaceutical Federation, World Confederation for Physical Therapy, FDI World Dental Federation, World Medical Association, and Global Health Workforce Alliance—and other international collaborating partners, including CapacityPlus. The PPE Campaign aims “to improve the quality of health services by raising awareness, identifying good practice and developing tools for managers and health professionals in the field, as well as carrying out concrete national and local demonstration projects to improve practice environments” (PPE 2012).
National governments
“HIV in the workplace” and universal precaution policies have been heavily financed and spearheaded by national AIDS programs throughout Africa, but they have rarely included other OSH elements. Having broader interests in their country’s multisectoral workforce, national governments have the ability to mainstream OSH policies. For example, while adversely affected by HIV and AIDS, the Government of South Africa recognized early on the effect of overall workforce health on productivity. As such, its workforce policy mainstreamed HIV policies into a broader, more comprehensive occupational health policy that focuses on worker wellness and prevention (DPSA 2010).
Professional councils, associations, and unions
Reinforcing a rights-based approach to OSH risk prevention, professional associations and councils can play a positive role as the protectors of their cadres and patients. Their involvement in policy and advocacy, leveraging resources, and providing continuing education on OSH risk prevention helps further implementation of OSH standards and safeguard workers. Most OSH programs in health and other sectors are managed by doctors and nurses. Professional councils, associations, and unions should ensure that health workers are informed and trained on OSH issues and empowered to demand workplace safety. For example, in Swaziland, the Ministry of Health partnered with the International Council of Nurses to support the Swaziland Wellness Centres, where nurses can seek health care and maintain health in a discreet and acceptable manner (Baleta 2008). Given that a majority of nurses are female, national nursing councils should also take a more predominant role in addressing gender inequities of OSH risks and exposures in the health workplace. Public Services International, the world’s largest health worker union, works to prevent needlesticks among health workers through its “Sharp Sense” program and efforts to increase access to self-retracting needles.
Health professional schools and research institutions
Professional schools can and should play a greater role in ensuring awareness and training of health workers about OSH risks and their prevention. Research institutions should lead the evaluation of OSH program effectiveness so that national governments can appreciate the return on their investments. For example, when Zambian professional health councils formed a national steering committee on OSH, they also included the School of Medicine and the Centre for Health, Science and Social Research (Ngulube 2011).