The Impact of Health Regulation of Biological risks on the Safety of Health Personnel

The ongoing incidence of sharps injuries is staggering in Australia. In this webinar we aim to understand what are the safety risks posed to healthcare workers and look further into the specific biological risks. We examine the types of biological risks, along with the consequences of these risks, we try to understand them through case studies.


CPD HOURS: 1
 Registration Year 2024-2025

Course Content

In 2013, the Public Citizen, a US-based not-for-profit organization, published its seminal report, in which they concluded that Healthcare is a High Hazard Workplace.

The ongoing incidence of sharps injuries is staggering in Australia. In this webinar we aim to understand what are the safety risks posed to healthcare workers and look further into the specific biological risks. We examine the types of biological risks, along with the consequences of these risks, we try to understand them through case studies.
The webinar further covers the sharps safety regulations around the world, with a focus on steps for reducing sharps safety at four levels of government, professional bodies, healthcare facilities and clinicians.

This is expanded to our learners with examples to enable retention and understanding. We conclude the seminar with a discussion on an evolving perspective on safety to advocate for a One Safe Culture for all, which includes both staff and patients.

Learning Outcomes

In this session you will:
  • Reflect on risk of occupational injury and experiences to healthcare workers, compared to national statistics with other industries.
  • Identify the types of scalpel injuries perioperative nurses may be at the risk of.
  • Describe the consequences an injury can have on the affected perioperative nurse, the patients and the facility.
  • Discuss at least the four steps that a sharps injury prevention process would consider.

Dr Shreya Singh

Phd, MA, BA

Dr Michael Sinnott

MBBS, FACEM, FRACP