628 Healthcare: Sonography Safety

Engineering Controls, Work Practices and Scheduling

There are several factors that may increase the force, posture, or repetition of a task which may result in injuries.

Potential Hazards

• locating equipment in a room that is too small to allow for proper arrangement and alignment of the machine, bed, chair and sonographer
• inadequate ventilation
• lighting that is too bright and unable to be controlled
• poor orientation of diagnostic suites in relation to other critical areas requiring excessive frequency and distance of equipment or patient transfer
• lack of time to properly adjust equipment or patients for optimal procedure performance
• lack of knowledge about how to design, setup and equip the diagnostic suite for a particular procedure

Possible Solutions

• Provide adequate space in the examination area for the maneuverability of equipment around the exam table and easy access from all sides.
• Provide adjustable room lighting with easily accessible dimmer controls and/or window shades or curtains.
• Provide adequate ventilation and temperature control to ensure the comfort of sonographer and patient while enabling the equipment to operate at a functional temperature.
• New equipment should always be assessed for its suitability in the physical space in which it will be used.
• Provide adequate rest breaks between examinations, particularly for challenging procedures which are comprised of similar postural and muscular force requirements.

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