| The safe handling guidelines of hazardous drugs, | | | | implementation of biological safety cabinets and |
| issued by healthcare organizations have | | | | closed drug transfer systems to administer drug |
| formulated certain programs which require active | | | | related procedures and, their maintenance and |
| participation of both employers and employees in | | | | proper usage. |
| healthcare facilities. These programs are based on | | | | Prior to the development of these safety |
| the assistance of workers and their responsibilities | | | | programs, healthcare settings are well studied to |
| towards developing executable solutions to reduce | | | | determine the frequency of use of hazardous |
| the risks of drug exposure cases. | | | | agents in useful drug preparation and patient's |
| These comprehensive safety programs are | | | | administration. A report on the lists of adequate |
| developed with the adequate consultation of | | | | arrangements available to protect workers |
| occupational healthcare units. These are designed | | | | involved in drug preparation or others in the |
| to throw a light on several issues related to drug | | | | vicinity and the possibilities of further |
| preparation, transfer, administration and disposal. | | | | contamination of drugs due to diffusion should also |
| These also discusses contamination of equipments | | | | be presented. |
| used to carry out different drug handling | | | | These safety programs form an essential part of |
| processes, with harmful agents and how these | | | | healthcare facilities and once prepared, these |
| devices are to be stored and handled out. | | | | should be well implemented to reduce the |
| The programs focus on procedures to address | | | | probabilities of occupational exposures. Therefore, |
| emergency conditions such as accidental leakage | | | | workers need to periodically revise these |
| of drugs or drug spills, direct exposures such as | | | | programs and get affixed to their proper practice. |
| skin and eye contacts, inhalation of drug aerosols | | | | They should update their information regarding |
| and vapors, etc. These incorporate the practice | | | | the discovery and invention of various safety |
| of engineering controls and personal protective | | | | systems and should take part to bring out |
| equipments including respirators, appropriate to | | | | remarkable changes in reducing fatal drug |
| the work culture. These also put forward the | | | | exposures. |