Employees Performance & Assessment system used in your organization Assignment

Employees Performance & Assessment system used in your organization - Assignment Example This has thus forced organizations to ensure proper training and support for those conducting the assessment, and assessing the risk possibilities to reduce legal liabilities. A job performance evaluation system is only considered effective if it can clearly show employees responsibilities, motivate them, show their contribution and give information that can be useful in making personnel decisions. This essay will evaluate the forced distribution system of performance evaluation, its advantages, disadvantages and ways of improving the system. In a forced distribution evaluation system the managers are expected to distribute ratings for the evaluated employees, into a pre-specified performance distribution ranking as described in Concise Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management by Cooper & Argyris. Meisler defined forced distribution performance evaluation as; It's a workforce-management tool based on the premise that in order to develop and thrive, a corporation must identify its best an d worst performers, then nurture the former and rehabilitate and/or discard the latter. It's an elixir that in these slow-growth times has proved irresistible to scores of desperate corporate chieftains - but indigestible to a good many employees (44-49). Just like the name suggest this system forces the managers to ensure that the performance evaluation reflects the true performance of each member within the organization. This system aims to improve overall productivity within the organization. Most organizations have developed their own criteria of ranking, which functions by developing the criteria and employees and ranked according to it. The performance criteria can either be in terms of goals or expected behavior expected of the employees. Microsoft organization rates its employees using a unique scale. Their 5 point scale ensures that employees also get a ranking for being either the most valuable or the least valuable in terms of performance. Through lifeboat discussions man agers will decide on the rankings by choosing the employees that they consider as the most valuable (Abelson,1). This form of ranking allows for determination of the least performing employee, because of this some organizations use the same system as a means of determining which employees are to be laid off. This ranking that allows for firing of workers has led the forced distribution system to be termed as ‘rank and yank’ system (Osborne & McCann, 6- 9). This system though employed by some organizations has both positive and negative features. It is imperative when considering an evaluating system to use in an organization to look at both of these features. This enables an organization to decide on which best fits the organization and will ensure that the employees feel secure in the workplace and promotes effectiveness and productivity. One of the advantages of fixed distribution performance evaluation system is that is that the use of this type of system can help to ensure that common errors that occur during performance evaluation are eliminated. These errors include; poor rating of the employees, or leniency errors whereby the employees are rated questionably well. The latter is the most common, and it is found in most cases that an employee is

SWOT Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example This practice aids the firm to ensure that its efforts bring positive results to the desired areas. In other words, combined operation would assist the firm to deliver quality care services to its clients. Camelot is located at Staten Island in New York City and the organization has counseling programs throughout the five boroughs of the New York City. The current location is a major internal strength to the organization since New York City is an important drug destination and distribution center in the United States (NC Buy). Excellent customer service also adds to the firm’s performance efficiency. It is the main reason why majority of the New York population primarily tend to opt Camelot’s services. Weaknesses Higher employee turnover rate is the most challenging weakness of the company. The employee turnover is often a costly process since the company needs to make some additional investments to train a newly appointed employee. The time taken for the employee repla cement process would adversely affect the organizational productivity. Furthermore, the increased rate of employee turnover may adversely affect the corporate image of Camelot. The issue would cause the organization to lose continuity in its proposed programs. Similarly, it seems that the organization does not hire from within the firms and this strategy in turn incurs the operating expenses of Camelot. Furthermore, this practice prevents the firm from obtaining experienced employees. Lack of employee incentive is another weakness of the Camelot Counseling Centers; and this weakness often leads to employee turnover. In addition, it negatively affects employee motivation and thereby organizational productivity. Finally, since the organization does not have sufficient funds to purchase up to date equipments for employees, it seriously impinge on the operational efficiency of the Camelot. Under such circumstances, employees may be forced to work with improper equipments. Evidently, thi s situation often affects the quality of the services delivered. Opportunities The Camelot Counseling Centers is the only one treatment facility in the New York City that offers assistance to teenagers in their problems associated with drugs and education. In addition, there are only a few providers in the City that offer residential treatment facilities. The US official data indicate that substance abuse is becoming a threatening issue in the country, especially in megalopolis cities like New York. Hence, the city’s lifestyle offers certain potential opportunities to the organization. Another opportunity for the company is that it possesses experienced teachers and counselors on every site. This facility helps the company to extend its services to each and every corner of the city with no time lag. Studies have pointed that a drug addicted person needs continuous support until he is completely recovered from addition.. Since the organization has counselors on site, they can more closely work with the clients. Since the lab suppliers charge the same price for private insurance and Medicaid, clients can obtain improved services from Camelot at a fairly low cost. This advantage may attract more clients to the organization. Threats Recently, the Camelot Counseling Centers are losing their customers to competitors including Drug Rehab & Alcohol Addiction Treatment New York and New York City Rehab Center. Over the past few years, the organization

Project risk management of south africa's 2010 world cup challenge Essay

Project risk management of south africa's 2010 world cup challenge - Essay Example These negativities pose a great risk in hosting such a mega event. This country has never got such a chance to propagate its plus points at any previous time in history so it should focus on appropriate planning of strategies and successful management of risks. The political risks are high, as the opposition would always scrutinize each and every effort and actions of the ruling party. Organizing such a big event without any political upheaval is nearly impossible. Reports have already started coming which state that opposition feels that spending so much of money in a gala event is not required when South Africa has other burning issues like poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment to deal with. Each and every issue related to world cup is taking a political angle. There are a section of people who believe that showing so much of interest in this event should not be the priority of the government, instead the focus should be in the overall development of the country. This viewpoint has the risk of further aggravating the political tensions as the opposition may try to project this viewpoint of a small section of society into the opinion of the masses. This entire hullabaloo will negatively impact the feelings of those who are pro FIFA w orld cup in South Africa and give a chance to the opposition in creating a situation that might pose a threat to the hosting and staging of the sports event. All other controversial issues of the South African politics will also come in the fore thus distracting the ruling party’s enthusiasm and focus towards the event. Hence political unrest in the backdrop of this gala event is a major threat to this project. Other major controversies like power shortage in the country and underdeveloped broadcast infrastructure would be greatly emphasized by the opposition which would pose a threat to the South Africa’s image to the entire world. There is a risk from a section of

How does Hamlet deal with the revengers r&amp Essay Example for Free

How does Hamlet deal with the revengers ramp Essay Revenge is defined as retaliation for an offence or injury; Hamlet has two main reasons for needing revenge, political and moral. Politically he has to kill Claudius for the offence of denying Hamlet, the heir to the Danish kingdom, his usurped crown. He also has a moral reason, as the son of a dear father murdered(II. ii. 581); he has a duty to extract revenge for the injury; and filially to protect his mother by ridding her of an incestuous and immoral marriage to a murderer. He has no doubt even to himself that he does have this dutiful role to perform, I know my course (II. ii. 596). To seek this revenge he would have to kill Claudius and his mother, for they are both guilty of having impure souls. But one of the very first internal conflicts Hamlet has is when the Ghost tells him nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven (I. iv. 85). This leaves him in great turmoil, as he can justify to himself the killing of Claudius, but not letting his mother live. He is so overcome with a sense of purity and morality, especially with concern to women, it does not seem right to him that something so tainted should be allowed to carry on in the world. He wants his perfect revenge, one that would satisfy his meticulously accomplished conscience, but he can not carry it out, so instead he declines it altogether, or at least puts it off in stages, until he can prove it to himself and can put it off no longer. He is willing to taint his own soul and so go to hell and enter a damnation possibly even worse than that in which the Ghost resides, which he tells Hamlet just to know about would, harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres, thy knotted and combini d locks to part, and each particular hair to stand on end like quills upon the fretful porpentine (I. iv. 16). Yet he is willing to suffer all this for the sake of revenge in killing Claudius, to avenge his father, so to save his mother, to leave her to heaven (I. v. 86), when even he is not allowed this blessing. What he is giving up to be the dutiful son and revenge his fathers murder in comparison to what Gertrude is giving up leaves his worse off than her, even though she has been an adulterous wife. Therefore her being allowed to live on in sin is as wrong not only on her part, but also on Hamlets for allowing it to be. Hamlet knows what he is sacrificing of himself, his immortal soul, if he is to take on the revengers ri le. It is a heavy burden to carry, and not one that he is willing to undertake lightly, so he wants to be absolutely certain of Claudius guilt before taking action. For as certain as he is of the course of action that must be taken, the truth of the Ghosts words must be ascertained, for when Hamlet converses with him he does not know for certain if it is a spirit of health or goblin damned, bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, be thy intents wicked or charitable (I. iv. 40). So to affirm the facts for himself, Hamlet has the players perform the play and watches for Claudiuss reaction to his own murderous and incestuous actions being acted out before him. For Hamlet this is supposed to be a resolution, a confirmation of his suspicions before he can act, a catalyst to spur him on depending on the success of his experiment. Hamlet becomes angry and disgusted with himself; he cant understand his own lack of passion, even after proving to himself that Claudius is guilty. He is very aware of himself not crying in the rehearsal of the play, when the players are moved to tears over the story of the rousid vengeance (II. ii. 486) of Pyrrhus, Priam and Hecuba. As soon as he is alone, he bursts out O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, Could force his soul so to his own conceit That from her working all his visage waned, Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect. And all for nothing He feels miserable at his deficit, he is forced to compare himself and he comes of he worse. What would he do had he the motive and the cue for passion that I have? Make mad the guilty and appal the free. He again feels this lack of justified fervour when young Fortinbras goes to battle to fight and possibly to die for a land that is acknowledged to be not worth the sacrifice we go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name (IV. iv. 18). This is again someone showing emotion and action when there is not as much reason to do so as there is for Hamlet. When he is alone he sees what Fortinbras has done as being honourable and a rebuke of his own inaction, whereas before when talking to Fortinbras captain, he had been cynical as to the actions they were carrying out. He analyses himself as thinking too precisely on thevent A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward (IV. iv. 41). He sees his need to think things through before acting as a deplorable weakness. Even he can see hat he is being weak minded and indecisive. But even when convinced he cant kill his uncle deliberately, in a rage he thinks he has killed him, but it was just Polonius. Having proved Claudius guilt, Hamlet now has to act, and yet does not act straight away, but postpones it, indicating that there are also other deeper subconscious reasons that could affect him. The death of his father at the beginning of the play and the hasty incestuous marriage of his mother upset him greatly and have led to his obsessions with death, decay, sin the body and its parts and with women, purity and the defiling of them. We can see this from speeches such as, O that this too too sullied flesh would melt Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His cannon gainst self-slaughter. (I. ii. 129) Frailty, thy name is woman. (I. ii. 146) For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion have you a daughter? (II. ii. 181) Or in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil in which Hamlet is clearly fixed on purity, women, death and suicide. Claudius being a murder and committing incest and yet still having the crown of Denmark and outwardly appearing to be just, honourable and a good leader (quote? ) could explain why Hamlet often confuses the order of society in his speeches. This can be seen when he calls himself a rogue and peasant slave (II. ii.547) when he clearly isnt, or when he calls himself unpregnant and likens himself to a whore in the same soliloquy, when he obviously is not. To Hamlet, Claudius is tainted and impure in mind and action, yet he is a good ruler of Denmark, a good king, and a good diplomat. He is efficient, confident, in control of affairs, in every way assured and poised. Hamlet identifies with Claudius in a way that restrains him from being able to kill him, hamlet has all the ability and the necessary desire, but Claudius has everything Hamlet wants, which leads to internal sub-conscious conflict on as well as his conscious conflicts. His mothers ability to alter the direction of her affection from one person to another so suddenly hurts Hamlet, as having to share her with his own father was difficult enough, but at least was understandable. He is now jealous that someone else holds such high regard in her affections but at the same time is disgusted with her for loving someone else. But as his jealousy is repressed, as he doesnt even admit to himself that he is jealous of his mothers lovers, all he feels is a deep sense of disgust towards Gertrude that helps him deal with his rejection. Hamlet could be suffering from the theory that Freud developed, the Oedipus theory. This states that as children, young boys feel great bitterness and resentment towards their fathers for making them share their mothers affections and for having sexual relations with their mothers which the young boys also desire, and so they view their fathers as rivals that they would rather have out of the way. These thoughts are repressed as a form of defence for fear that their fathers will realise what they are thinking. To compensate for this they resolve the complex by over identifying with their fathers and adopting many of their fathers attitudes. This could be used to explain Hamlets impediment and self-frustration towards his revenge. He tries to carry out the task, but he is held back in some way, because he cannot kill a person who he recognises as so like himself in what he wants to be like and wishes he could do. His desires towards his mother have been so long repressed that they are now repulsive to him, but yet her remarrying brings those thoughts to his attention. He sees someone taking the place of his father in her affections, the place that he has long coveted. The nature of this usurper, a relative, makes the link between the two even more incestuous in Hamlets mind and even more connected towards him. This, coupled with the fact that Claudius is able to gain his mothers affection by killing old Hamlet, ridding him, once again something that Hamlet has long wanted to do but repressed from himself, hinders Hamlet greatly from carrying out his revenge. When Hamlet discovers the identity of his fathers murderer his first instant reply is O my prophetic soul! My uncle? (I. v. 40). This does imply that unconsciously the idea had been in his mind and had suddenly been brought back to his awareness.

Health and safety hazards to workers

Health and safety hazards to workers In Mauritius, we have five regional hospitals namely: SSRNH, Victoria Hospital, Nehru Hospital, Jeetoo Hospital and Flacq Hospital and other small specialised hospitals such as ENT Hospital, Moka Eye Hospital and Brown Sequard Hospital. Each regional hospital consists of a CSSD unit respectively which cater for the provision of sterile items to the hospital and to health centres which falls under the catchment area of that regional hospital. Although, the CSSD is a small unit in that hospital, its presence and service is of great importance to the healthcare staff, patients and to the public in general. The role of the CSSD is to prevent cross- infection and contamination of the patients, staff and visitors by sterilising all equipment and instruments which aid in providing the best care to the patients. It is time to think about the health and safety of the workers of Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD). In order to protect and to prevent the staff of the CSSD from injuries and illnesses, it is important to identify the health and safety hazards that are present at each level and in each area of the CSSD. After identification of these hazards is carried out, appropriate preventive measures must be adopted if not to eliminate the hazards completely, but at least to minimise the exposure of the staff to these hazards so that they can work in a safer environment free from injuries, accidents and occupational diseases. For the purpose of this project, the Hazard Identification was carried out at the CSSD of SSRN Hospital. Abbreviations CSSD Central Sterile Supplies Department SSRNH Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital PPE Personal Protective Equipment EtO Ethylene Oxide HIV -Human Immunodeficiency Virus OSHA 2005 -Occupational Health and Safety 2005- HBV Hepatitis B Virus MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders 1.0 INTRODUCTION Hospitals are such places where people get treatment for their illnesses, injuries and diseases. Many of these diseases are caused by biological agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Thus, in hospitals there is high incidence of disease-causing micro-organisms which can spread from patient to patient or from patient to health care personnel or from the equipment and other materials that are used while giving care to the patients. It is the duty of the staff not only to cure the diseases of the patients but at the same time to prevent the transmission of diseases from one person to another. An effective measure to prevent spreading of the diseases is in making sure that all the items that are used in the care of the patients are sterile. Many of the instruments and materials used in the hospitals are quite expensive and are so designed that they can be reused. The importance of a CSSD in a hospital is to provide sterile items at the required time and place in the hospital. The CSSD of a hospital receives stores, sterilises and distributes to all the departments including the wards, outpatient department and other special unit such as the operation theatre. The main duty of the CSSD is the sterilisation of items such as catheters, tubings, surgical instruments, treatment trays and sets and dressings materials. Although, CSSD aims at providing sterile items so as to prevent the spread of infection and in some ways to protect hospital staff and patients from biological hazards, the CSSD itself is prone to various hazards. So, to be able to identify the health and safety hazards that workers face, we must first know the activities that are carried out in the CSSD. 2.0 The objectives of the CSSD: To provide sterile gauze packs cotton wool and equipment to all units of the hospital and to Area Health Centers, and Community Health Centers within the catchment area of a regional hospital. To ensure that proper cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising process of items is being carried out in the department. To keep an inventory of all supplies and equipment. To meet the demand of its customers, i.e. different units in supplying the needed amount of sterile items to them. To contribute to a great extent in preventing cross-infection by effective running of the department. To take some of the work of the nursing staff so that they can give more time to the patients. To make expensive equipment which are not used so often reusable. To provide a safe working environment for the staff. 3.0 The organisational structure of the CSSD at SSRNH: The CSSD has manpower of 26 workers: 1 Superintendent, 2 Supervisors, 17 CSSD Assistants and 6 CSSD Attendants. The Head of the Department is the Superintendent and is the one who liaises with other heads of different departments. The supervisors are responsible for monitoring the duties of the assistants and to ensure the smooth running of the unit. They are also responsible for the effective delivery of sterile items to the required units. The CSSD Assistants are those workers who perform most of the duties in the unit. The attendants are mainly concerned with manual handling, collecting and delivering items to other departments of the hospital. An organisational chart is as below: CSSD Superintendent CSSD Supervisors CSSD Assistants CSSD Attendants 4.0 CSSD Design F:ImagesP2108_26-04-10.JPG 5.0 The Sterile Supply Cycle 6.0 The different areas of the CSSD The CSSD is divided into four major areas: Sorting and Decontamination Assembly and Packaging Sterilising Sterile Storage and Distribution 1. Sorting and Decontamination Area: Here the instruments are cleaned and washed. For the purpose of cleaning and washing, chemical detergents and disinfectants such as javel, alcohol and soaps are used. The instruments are washed in basin using plenty amount of water. It is only after this process that the instruments are safe to be handled. Also, sorting of instruments is carried out, disassembling of the instruments is done when needed and the CSSD assistants inspect the items for cleanliness and damage. 2. Assembly and Packaging Area: Following decontamination, the items are further sorted, reassembled and packaged. Here, reusable linens such as surgical gowns, green sheets drapes are packed in individual special wrapping paper. Cotton wool rolls are place in carton boxes. Gauze pieces are cut into smaller sizes and are wrapped individually. Clean instruments are placed in trays (either small or large depending on the surgical intervention during which they are going to be used) and are then packed in double wrapping papers. Autoclave tapes are used to hold the surgical items packed for sterilisation intact. These tapes have white indicator lines which turn to black lines after sterilization, thus helping the user to make sure that the pack is sterile. 3. The Sterilising Area Here the packed items then undergo a process known as sterilization. This involves the killing of any potential pathogen on the items. Normally, several methods of sterilisation exit but steam and ethylene oxide sterilization are most commonly used. 4. Sterile Storage and Distribution Area The sterile items are then stored in the storage area arranged neatly on different shelves. From there, the sterile items are then distributed to respective units. 7.0 The Sterilising Process: The CSSD attendants collect used instruments and equipment, empty carton boxes for cotton wool and the CSSD book (in which the head of the unit jots down the number of each sterile items he needs) from respective units of the hospital. With the introduction of new technologies, old methods of sterilisation such as boiling and vaporization have been replaced by two main methods of sterilization namely: 1. Autoclaving, i.e. steam sterilisation 2. Gas sterilisation using ethylene oxide. The items that are sterilised in the CSSD are: Cloth, i.e. green sheets drapes Gauze Cotton wool Instruments Pre-sterilisation Prior to sterilisation, all the items must be prepared through a process known as pre-sterilisation. The pre-sterilisation process for the items that have to be sterilised is as follows: 1. Cloth The clean linen are folded, and then wrapped in a special paper. The packed linen is then sealed with autoclaves tape. 2. Gauze The gauze are cut into uniform pieces and made into either large gauze or small gauze. They are then packed in paper into individual packs and are sealed with autoclave tapes. 3. Cotton wool The cotton wool is made into small rolls from large bundles and placed in small carton boxes which are then sealed on the sides with autoclave tapes. 4. Instruments The instruments are first checked for soil, they are then washed and placed in trays or individual sets depending on the requisition of the respective unit. They are then packed in double special paper wrappers and sealed with autoclave tapes. Sterilisation It is a process used to make a medium free from micro-organisms including bacterial spores. Sterilisation can be done through heat, chemicals, irradiation and high pressure. In the CSSD at SSRNH, two types of sterilisation is being used: Gas Sterilisation Steam Sterilisation Gas Sterilisation Using ethylene oxide. This method of sterilization can be used to sterilise those items that can withstand temperatures of 50-60ËÅ ¡C. A long period of aeration is required to remove all traces of ethylene oxide. Autoclaving, i.e. Steam Sterilisation It is the most reliable process of sterilization. It sterilises with steam under pressure. The high pressure also ensures saturation of wrapped surgical packs. Autoclaving is one of the most effective methods for destruction of all types of micro-organisms. The amount of time and degree of temperature necessary for sterilisation depend on the articles to be sterilised. 8.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The aims of Occupational Health and Safety are: To promote and maintain a high degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in their respective workplace; To prevent adverse effects on the health of the workers that can be due to the working conditions; To protect the workers at their workplace from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; To provide the workers with such working environment that suits their physical and mental needs; the adaptation of work to humans. We can thus say that occupational health and safety englobes the social, mental and physical well-being of workers. A healthy workplace means a safe workplace where the workers will be in an environment where the hazards exposure is quite minimised if not eliminated completely. Occupational health and safety is important as: Work plays a major role in peoples lives, since most workers spend at least eight hours a day in the workplace. Therefore, work environments should be safe and healthy. But, this is not the case for many workers. Every day workers all over the world face many health hazards, such as: dusts gases noise vibration extreme temperatures. As a result of the hazards and a lack of attention given to health and safety, work-related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the world. Appropriate and effective workplace health and safety programmes can help to protect the workers by reducing hazards and their consequences. Health and safety programmes can also have positive effects on both worker morale and productivity and can thus be beneficial to the organisation. At the same time, effective programmes can save employers a great deal of money. There are many hazards that might exist in any workplace such as: chemical hazards in the form of liquids, solids, dusts, fumes, vapours and gases; physical hazards, such as noise, vibration, unsatisfactory lighting, radiation and extreme temperatures; biological hazards, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi; psychological hazard as a result of stress and strain; hazards related to the non-application of ergonomic principles, like badly designed machinery, mechanical devices and tools that will be used by workers, improper seating and workstation design, or poorly designed work practices. Workers often get work-related health problems and do not realise that the problems are related to their work, particularly when an occupational disease, for example, is in the early stages. Besides the other more obvious benefits of training, such as skills development, hazard recognition, etc., a comprehensive training programme in each workplace will help workers to: recognise early signs/symptoms of any potential occupational diseases before they become permanent conditions; assess their work environment; insist that management to make changes before hazardous conditions can develop. Previous research on CSSD shows that: According to Linda Clement, Items processed in the decontamination areas are potentially pathogenic and pose a potential exposure risk to employees working in these areas. She also stated that to prevent cross contamination, good infection prevention processes must be put into practice. Also, the housekeeping procedures should be the same as those that are used in operation theatre and delivering rooms and that all horizontal working surfaces and the floors should be cleaned daily. The medical equipment poses a risk of exposure to blood and bodily soils, and other safety hazards before or during processing. So, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn by the workers, they should adopt good work practices and have to follow the manufacturers instructions. Whether it is a sterilizer, a washer/disinfector, an endoscope or a surgical instrument, it is best to follow the device manufacturers instructions found in operator manuals and other product documentation for h andling, operation, cleaning and disinfecting medical equipment. As per John Brown, All personnel working in the decontamination area should wear clean, facility-provided uniforms that are donned at the facility. Also, workers should use general purpose utility gloves, gown, a surgical face mask and goggles while working in the decontamination area. During maintenance procedures, additional PPE is necessary including eye protection and steel-toed shoes should be worn at all times to protect from sharp and heavy objects from causing injury to workers feet. Leather gloves while handling potentially sharp objects, stainless steel panels and plumbing piping gloves and heat-resistant arm sleeves must be worn while working around steam piping and face shield when using cleaning chemicals. (Infection Control Today-Jennifer Schraag April 08) 8.1 HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS: 8.1.1 Safety The primary areas of potential hazards include environmental, electrical, mechanical, chemical, biological, fire and physical. The work performed in the CSSD need special attention to avoid injury to the workers and sometimes visitors such as nursing staff. Most workplace injuries and accidents are caused by neglect, carelessness or lack of understanding of the principles of safety. Safety is every workers responsibility so as protects oneself and also the equipment in the CSSD which is governments property. 8.1.2 Chemical Hazard These hazards are present when a worker is exposed to any chemicals in the workplace, be it solid, liquid or gas. Some of these chemicals are safer than others, but some workers who are sensitive to chemicals, even those that are commonly used solutions can cause illness, skin irritation or breathing problems. In the decontamination area, the use of chemicals for cleaning purposes is necessary. These chemicals are caustic soda, javel, methyl spirit, soaps and detergents. Exposure may result when the workers do not use necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) while handling these hazardous chemicals found in soaps, disinfectors and cleaners. Exposure to these substances can cause contact dermatitis, excoriation of the skin and ulcers. Prolonged and persistent exposure may end up in allergic reactions or hypersensitivity. 8.1.3Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Hazards EtO possesses several physical and health hazards that really need much attention. EtO is a liquid below 51.7ËÅ ¡ F, or a gas that has ether-like odour at concentrations above 700 parts per million (ppm) and is both flammable and highly reactive. The current OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) to EtO is 1ppm for an 8-hour time weighted average. Normally, EtO sterilization is done for items which cannot be exposed to steam sterilization. Exposure hazards normally results from improper ventilation in ethylene oxide chamber after the sterilising process, during off-gassing of sterilized items or due to leakage from pipe connection. Hazards can also occur when removing sterilized items from the sterilizer or even when changing bottles of EtO gas. Health effects of EtO are: Eye irritation and injury to cornea, frostbite and on prolonged skin exposure, severe irritation and blistering of the skin can happen. Gastric irritation and injury to the liver can result from accidental ingestion of EtO. Inhalation of EtO vapours may cause respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and cyanosis. Risk of cancer, adverse reproductive effects and chromosomal damage can result from prolonged exposure to EtO. 8.1.4 Biological Hazard In the decontamination area, workers may be injured from contaminated sharp instruments such as needles and scalpels, while sorting, cleaning and washing. Soiled, reusable instruments are considered to be contaminated with bacteria and other micro-organisms, which can cause illness to the staff. Exposure to infected material can cause diseases such as Viral Hepatitis and HIV. Contamination is liable to occur due to presence of blood borne pathogens found in soiled drapes and pointed objects, e.g needles. Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with the blood or body fluid of an infected person on soiled drapes or surgical instruments which in turn land up in the CSSD for sterilisation. 8.1.5 Ergonomics related hazards When the physical requirements of a job and the physical capacity of a worker do not match, it can cause in work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD). Ergonomic hazards occur when the type of work, body position and working conditions put strain on the body. A worker will not notice the strain immediately .For short-term exposure, a worker can get sore muscles the next day or in the days following exposure, but long term exposure can end in serious long-term injuries. These hazards may be due to: bad lighting not properly adjusted workstations and chairs frequent lifting bad posture repetitive awkward movements too much force is needed to do a work and it has to be done quite often. In the CSSD, workers are exposed to repetitiveness of works, prolonged standing and reaching out while sorting instruments, uncomfortable sitting postures on chairs which are non-ergonomically designed during trimming of gauze and putting cotton wool rolls in boxes. The workers have to bend frequently while lifting heavy loads, need to reach high storage shelves or need to push or pull heavy carts loaded with sterile or unsterile items, all this can lead to MSD. Contact trauma to forearm can also occur if the workers the wrists are placed on hard surfaces. 8.1.6 Physical Hazards These are the most common and can be present in most workplaces at anytime. They include unsafe conditions that can cause injury, illness and death. Sometimes bad working practices are used so often that they become the routine works habits and might be not considered as hazards to workers. But still these hazards cannot be accepted in a workplace. Physical hazards include: electrical hazards constant loud noise high exposure to heat slips/trips and falls. Burns and cuts Workers are exposed to burns and cuts during handling of hot sterilised items or sharp instruments when removing them from autoclaves. Slips/Trips/Falls Exposure to slippery floors can occur to spills of detergents and presence of water on the floors while cleaning and washing of instruments is being done in the decontamination area. In the sterilizing area because of the use of steam in autoclaving processes, the environment inside the room will be humid and may cause the floor to be slippery. Electrical Hazards All electrical devices should be inspected upon arrival in the CSSD. Improper grounding and earthing facilities can prove to be dangerous. Regular maintenance and repairs of the equipment in the CSSD should be documented and proper records should be maintained. Electrical cords lying on the floors can cause workers to trip over them and the cords can also be exposed to wet floors and cause electrocution. The use of extension cords should be avoided and electrical sockets should not be installed next to washing basins or near any source of water. Unsafe electrical installations by incompetent persons can give rise to electrical hazards. All electrical installations should have protective devices such as circuit breakers, fuses, Residual Current Devices so that the electrical equipment are safe from overvoltage and excessive current. Unsafe work practices can lead to electrical accidents. Heat Exposure to hot environment can lead to heat stress, heat exhaustion, and cramps. This can happen when workers are unloading items once autoclaving is completed. As autoclaving uses steam, the atmosphere in the sterilising area becomes very moist and the temperature in that unit is quite raised when the autoclaves are in operation. The workers feel very hot and also very uncomfortable to work in such conditions. Sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses and dizziness caused by the heat can increase risk of injuries in workers. Burns can also occur due to accidental contact with hot surfaces of autoclaves or with accidental opening of the autoclave door or due to improper closing of the door causing steam to escape. Fire Hazards EtO is used for gas sterilising. EtO is a highly flammable gas and improper ventilation system and leakage of the gas-line can cause accumulation of EtO in the CSSD, the use of cigarettes by staff in addition to the EtO in the air may cause a fire outbreak or even an explosion. Improper storage of flammable gases and liquids can have adverse effects and may result in fire. Improper maintenance of electrical equipment and aging electrical cords, with the presence of water can be a source of static electricity, sparks or minor combustion which can ultimately lead to a fire due to presence of large amount of combustible materials such as gauze, linen cotton, boxes, and paper wrappers in the CSSD. 8.1.7 Latex Allergy Workers normally wear latex gloves during handling and sorting of contaminated instruments and equipment is done. Some workers can develop allergy to the latex. 9.0 LEGISLATION The only legislative body concerned with the health and safety of workers in Mauritius is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2005. The Superintendent, Supervisors and all the CSSD staff should be familiar with this Act as each worker will know about his rights and what work he should or should not do as per law and what protection he should have for doing a particular task. 10.0 RECOMMENDATIONS General Recommendations: An effective measure to prevent workers from hazards exposure is regular job rotation to different areas of the CSSD. The employees should be provided with gowns, hair covers and shoe covers while at work. During cleaning and washing of equipments, the workers should be provided with rubber gloves and aprons. While removing carts and trays from the hot sterilisers leather gloves should be worn by the staff. Frequent hand washing with good hand washing techniques will contribute to a great extent in preventing cross-infection. It is highly recommended to the workers not to wear any jewels, e.g. rings and nail varnish while washing the instruments and while packing the items for sterilisation. Workers must adopt safe work practices so as to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses. Taking the necessary safety precautions while performing the required task can practically eliminate associated dangers. It is the duty of all workers to comply with specific health and safety precautions so to protect themselves from any hazard that might be present in the CSSD. Recommendations for Chemical Hazards: Goggles must be worn when washing and cleaning instruments as there is risk of chemicals being splashed into the eyes. Appropriate PPE such as gloves, goggles, splash aprons should be worn by workers so as to protect them while using detergents and chemicals in the decontamination area. In case of splash of chemicals into the eyes, the workers should flush the eyes immediately for at least 15 mins. Thus, suitable facilities for eye flashing should e situated within the working area. Recommendations for EtO Use proper ventilation especially for the Eto Room Local exhaust ventilation system should be installed. Workers exposure to EtO should be minimised when sterilization is being carried out The door of the sterilizer should be opened no more than two inches to allow the load to off gas before transferring them to carts. Installation of a ventilated exhaust hood installation would be very useful. For changing of cylinders, appropriate PPE such as butyl apron, gloves, and a canister respirator is recommended. Recommendations for Biological Hazards: Use protective glove for cleaning and decontamination, shoes should be closed and resistant to puncture, goggles for eye, face mask or face shield and plastic apron. Training in of handling of sharp equipment should be given to the workers. Engineering and Work Practice Controls must be the primary means used to eliminate or minimize exposure to blood borne pathogens. Engineering Controls are measures (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, and safer medical devices, such as sharps injury protections) that isolate or remove the blood borne pathogens hazard from the workplace. Use of resistant puncture sharp containers with biohazard symbol. Container to be filled to the mark and the container should not have any leakage. Recommendations for Ergonomics Related Hazards Workstation need to be redesigned so packaging and equipment are within reachable levels and the elbows are maintained close to the body. The wheels for the carts should be such that they are easily rolled. Prolonged overhead activity need to be minimised (e.g. storage shelves should be lowered to shoulder height). Height-adjustable work surfaces should be used or tables have to be lifted to minimise head tilt. Repetitive tasks should be prevented by rotating workers to different work area. The edge of the working surfaces which come into contact with the elbow or forearm should be padded to prevent contact trauma. Sit/stand stools may be provided in the working area. Anti-fatigue mats have to be used. Shoes with well-cushioned insteps and soles should be worn by workers in case there is no floor mats. Foot rest bar should be provided to the staff so can they continually alter their posture by raising one foot. Padded Work Surfaces Padded Work Surfaces Recommendations for Burns and Cuts Good work practices should be established to prevent hazards: Hot items should not be removed from sterilisers until they are cooled. Handling of sharp ends of instruments should be avoided. Forceps should be used to remove sharp instruments from baskets and autoclaves Leather gloves should be provided to workers for handling of hot items. Recommendations to prevent from burning with Autoclave: Unloading Autoclave Heat-insulating gloves, safety glasses/face shield and closed toed shoes should be worn while unloading autoclaves. Workers must make sure that the pressure of the chamber is 0 before they open the door. Workers should stand back away from the door as a precaution and carefully open the door not more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) so as to allow residual steam to escape and to the allow pressure within the liquids and containers are back to normal. Sterilised items should be allowed to stand for 10 minutes. This will allow the steam to clear and also allow trapped air to escape from hot liquids, reducing risk . (Note: This is built into the operating cycle on some of the autoclaves). Containers of super-heated liquids should not be agitated and caps must not be removed before unloading. When hot items are removed from the autoclave, they should be marked with warning sign (e.g. Caution: Hot. Do not touch.) till the items cools down to room temperature.. Recommendations for Slips, Trips and Falls: Floors should be kept clean and dry. For wet floor areas warning signs should be placed. Proper drainage should be done during wet processes and floors mats, dry standing places should be available and waterproof footgear can also be worn by the workers. All working area should be kept clean and in an orderly manner. All aisles and passageways should be and free from any obstruction. Floor plugs for equipment to prevent power cords from running across pathways. All exits should be free from any obstruction. Access to exits doors should be easily reachable. Slip resistant shoes should be worn. Spills need to be reported and cleaned immediately. Uneven floor surfaces should be eliminated. Recommendations for Electrical hazard: Avoid using extension cords. All cords should have a grounded, three-prong, hospital-grade plug. A cracked cord should be replaced immediately. No accumulation of water should be allowed near an electrical outlet. According to OSHA 2005 Clause 73,all electrical apparatuses and conductors including machines, equipment and fittings shall be sufficient in size and power for the work for which they are used and shall be constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained so as to prevent danger. Recommendations for hazards related to Heat: Since, the place of work is quite hot; workers should wear light-coloured and

the wilsons disease :: essays research papers

The Wilson’s Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Wilson’s disease is a genetic disorder of the thirteenth chromosome. This disease is an inherited disease and it is mostly likely to be in all of the offspring if a parent had it. It is the unnecessary increase of copper in the liver and brain. This is cause by a defect in the transport of copper. Wilson’s disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of the copper transport resulting in the copper buildup. It is also known as Hepatolenticular Degeneration as the scientific name. This mutation prevents the body from eliminating the extra copper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The symptoms include quivering in the upper extremities, Slowness of movement and changes in personality. They will be exceptionally argumentative and overly emotional. They will have a Decrease in mental capabilities and Speech disorders. Liver damage will be one of the first things to go wrong and needs mandatory attention. There will be Neurological disturbances like dementia and leading to deterioration of your coordination. Corneal markings occur along with a Rusty brown discoloration at the rims of the corneas. These are major problems that can’t be gotten rid of easily. There are very few ways to get rid of the symptoms of Wilson’s disease. It is necessary to get at least one liver transplant during their life. Most patients get chelation therapy to remove different amounts of copper. To remove copper penicillamine, zinc salts and/or trientine are used. Galzin is used to get rid of some physical symptoms of the Wilson’s disease. It is necessary to take 50MG of Galzine three times a day for it to work properly. Sometimes Zinc Acetate is given to block the absorption of extra copper. It is also necessary for a person with Wilson’s disease to have a different diet. They often have a depletion of pyridoxine or B-6 and need supplements of 25MG daily. The food they eat should stay low in copper, at less than 0.1MG per portion. They could probably handle about 0.7MGs a day. People with Wilson’s disease can’t eat a number of foods like tofu, mushrooms, and raisins, any kind of beans, chocolate, soy milk, nuts, or mineral water.

Alfred Adler Personality Theories

Alfred Adler was a little baby boy born on the suburb of Vienna on February 7, 1870. He almost died of pneumonia when he is five years of age. At this age he decided to become a physician. (Ewen, Robert,p. 5) . Alfred was an intelligent, sociable and a very active boy. He was n average student of a University. He finished his medical degree in the University of Vienna in 1895.Alfred’s wife was Raissa Timofeyewuna Epstein, a social activist and a very intelligent woman and blessed with four children. (Ewen, Robert, p. 15) at first Alfred Adler become an ophthalmologist and soon changed it to  his general practice..He encountered clients like circus people. Because of these clients he realized that the strength and weaknesses of the performers made him develop into organ inferiorities and compensation. (Levine, Robert Alan,p. 10)He becomes a physician or a doctor in the Australian army. Because of this experience he comes up to a concept of social interest. This concept makes every human to realize that they must survive and change in their own ways. Contribution to the field of Psychology of Personality Alfred Adler’s motivating force is striving for the perfection. Adler believe that this is the desire of people have to fulfill their potential in order to come up their ideal.Agression drive which refers to the reaction of people have, as well as their drives. Compensation is another term used by Adler which means striving to overcome. In the masculine protest, Adler emphasized that the boys have a high esteem than girls. It means that men are better than women. Boy’s have the capacity to do all great things and women don’t have. Just because they do have the power, education, talent and motivation needed to do all the excellent work. And the last one is the striving for superiority.It is the desire to be better not for his own but to better than others. (Ewen, Robert, p. 22) Adler’s approach â€Å"individual psychology† was contributed to psychology. Adler developed a different personality types like the getting or leaning type, in this type people are anti-social and have a low activity levels. Next is the avoiding type, are people who hate to be rejected. People have a low social contact and afraid of rejection. In this type, people always aware to their actions and behavior. They are very careful on what actions or decisions should be made.Ruling dominant are people who are willing to manipulate situations and people. And the last one is the social useful type, people in this type are very sociable and active. Instead of discussing about a person’s personality Adler also talk about lifestyle. According to Alfred Adler, lifestyle refers to how you live your life, how to handle problems and interpersonal relations. It means that lifestyle of people help them realize their selves, how to handle their problems and how to communicate to other people. Application of Personality Theories to W ork Place Alfred Adler’s theory of personality is very useful because it can help people act properly.People always think positively so that they can perform better and resulting to an excellent performance. They can carry all the problems that they will be encounter and they can find a better solution for that. People will always aim high and give excellent effort to perform their jobs. Personality theories application is said to be a positive theory, make people a goal oriented, positive thinking, problem solver ,and help to make people an excellent one in terms of their work and in their life. Life style approach of Adler refers how to live life, how to handle problems and interpersonal relations. According to Alfred Adler â€Å"The style of life of a tree is the individuality of a tree expressing itself and molding itself in an environment.We recognize a style when we see it against a background of an environment different from what we expect, for then we realize that ev ery tree has a life pattern and is not merely a mechanical reaction to the environment. † Base on this approach we can conclude that every person’s behavior and personality usually based on their life pattern and their environment . Personality theory can help a lot to the work place because individual here has a good life pattern and environment.People are willing to achieve goals and always want to excel in their own specializations. Problems are disregarded and always find solutions for it Because of this positive personality of people ,they become very successful and fulfilled. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ewen, Rowen B. , 1998, An Introduction to Theories of Personality Mahwah, New Jersey.Ewen, Rowen B. , 2003, An Introduction to Theories of Personality Mahwah, New Jersey.Levine, Robert Alan, 1982, Culture, Behavior, and Personality New York.Schinka, John A. , 1997, Introduction to the Special Series-Personality Assessment Instruments.