Workforce Safety and Wellness

Why this chapter matters

You cannot help patients if you are injured, sick, or impaired; many EMS injuries and exposures are preventable.

Learning objectives (18)

1. Apply the standard precautions used in treating patients to prevent infection — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
2. Describe the different types of protective clothing worn to prevent injury — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
3. Describe the specific routes of transmission and the steps to prevent and/or deal with an exposure to hepatitis, tuberculosis, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immuno — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
4. Differentiate infectious disease and communicable disease — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
5. Differentiate issues concerning care of the dying patient, death, and the grieving process of family members — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
6. Discuss the steps necessary to determine scene safety and to prevent work-related injuries at the scene — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
7. Discuss workplace issues such as cultural diversity, sexual harassment, and substance abuse — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
8. Explain posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and steps that can be taken, including critical incident stress management, to decrease the likelihood that PTSD will develop — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
9. Explain the steps that contribute to wellness and resilience and their importance in managing stress — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
10. Explain the steps to take for personal protection from airborne and bloodborne pathogens — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
11. Explain the ways in which immunity to infectious diseases is acquired — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
12. Identify resources for positive mental health and suicide prevention — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
13. Identify the emotional aspects of emergency care — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
14. Identify the risks and hazards of sleep deprivation in EMS — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.
15. Recognize the physiologic, physical, and psychological responses to stress — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
16. Recognize the possibility of violent situations and the steps to take to deal with them — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
17. Recognize the stress inherent in many situations, such as mass-casualty scenes — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 31); confirm wording in your course copy.
18. State the routes of disease transmission — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 30); confirm wording in your course copy.

Chapter outline

1. Scene safety priorities; dynamic hazards (traffic, violence, unstable structures, hazmat cues)
2. BSI and standard precautions; hand hygiene; PPE selection for splash, airborne, and contact risks
3. TB / airborne awareness; respirator programs only at scope your course defines
4. Exposure control plan mindset: sharps, splash to mucosa, bite, needlestick; immediate steps and reporting chain
5. Wellness: sleep, fatigue, nutrition, hydration; fitness for duty
6. Behavioral health: stress, cumulative trauma, critical incidents; peer support and professional resources (agency-dependent)
7. Injury prevention: lifting philosophy; introduction to ergonomic thinking (full lifting/moving often later chapter in text—still tie posture here)
8. Situational awareness and crew resource management basics (speak up, closed-loop communication preview for Ch 4)

Vocabulary (12)

Body mechanics

Using posture, leg drive, and teamwork to lift with less spine loading. Utilization: Apply during cot loads, stair carries, and floor lifts to prevent injury.

BSI / scene safety

Body substance isolation (gloves, eye protection, etc.) plus ensuring the scene is safe to enter. Utilization: First priorities before patient contact on every response.

Contamination

Presence of hazardous substance on person or object. Utilization: Triggers isolation and decontamination pathways.

Critical incident stress

Normal stress reactions after high-acuity events; may benefit from peer/debrief resources. Utilization: Recognize symptoms in yourself and teammates; use agency support programs.

Cumulative trauma disorder

Injury from repeated stress on muscles and joints. Utilization: Prevent with ergonomics, stretching, and equipment use.

Decontamination

Process of removing or neutralizing contaminants from personnel and equipment. Utilization: Needed after hazardous materials contact or infectious contamination per protocol.

documents/mental

health-grid/2016-naemt-mental

Exposure incident

Contact with blood or OPIM through mucous membranes, non-intact skin, or percutaneous injury. Utilization: Follow agency policy: wash, report, document, seek baseline testing and follow-up.

Fatigue

Reduced alertness and performance from inadequate sleep, long shifts, or high workload. Utilization: Mitigate with rest, hydration, nutrition, and speaking up when unsafe to drive or perform procedures.

Postincident debrief

Structured team talk after difficult calls. Utilization: Supports learning and mental health when facilitated appropriately.

Situational awareness

Continuous perception of environment, threats, and changing patient condition. Utilization: Maintain during traffic scenes, violent scenes, and dynamic medical deterioration.

Standard precautions

Treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious; use PPE accordingly. Utilization: Guides glove use, mask/eye protection, and safe handling of spills.

Sequence practice (2 puzzles on Quiz Me)

Quick fire sample (12 of 12 on Quiz Me)