Hygiene Hospital Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy.
Front Public Health. 2023 Apr 14;11:960921. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.960921. eCollection 2023.
The Prevention Technician in the Environment and Workplaces (PTEW) is a health professional who works in the identification, assessment, and management of risk in living and working places. The PTEW implements specific corrective actions at reducing exposure levels to chemicals such as formaldehyde. The aim of this report was to update the formaldehyde risk assessment document (RAD). The risk assessment process was divided into three steps as follows: (1) preliminary data collection, (2) an on-site visit to identify the use patterns and process, and (3) application of the algorithm to calculate the exposure levels of healthcare workers. In addition, with the introduction of closed-circuit systems, 23 devices were evaluated to identify possible airborne dispersion of formaldehyde. The algorithm was applied in 31 hospital units and the results allowed us to classify the staff in two levels of exposure for each hospital unit; healthcare workers were classified as "exposed" or "potentially exposed." Most of the HCWs are categorized as potentially exposed, and only workers working in laboratories are considered to be exposed. The results showed that devices must be used properly according to the user manual. To increase the level of worker safety, we have proposed to introduce closed-circuit safe handling systems and keeping the duration and intensity of exposure at the lowest possible levels according to the "ALARA" principle. The assignment of the Italian PTEW is to achieve excellence in the levels of health and safety of patients and hospital workers by pursuing a shared mission: improving the quality of public health.
环境与工作场所预防技师（PTEW）是一种医疗保健专业人员，负责识别、评估和管理生活和工作场所的风险。PTEW 实施具体的纠正措施，以降低甲醛等化学物质的暴露水平。本报告旨在更新甲醛风险评估文件（RAD）。风险评估过程分为三个步骤：（1）初步数据收集，（2）现场访问以识别使用模式和过程，以及（3）应用算法计算医护人员的暴露水平。此外，随着闭路系统的引入，评估了 23 种设备，以确定甲醛是否可能通过空气传播。该算法应用于 31 个医院单位，结果允许我们对每个医院单位的员工进行两级暴露分类；医护人员被分为“暴露”或“潜在暴露”。大多数 HCWs 被归类为潜在暴露，只有在实验室工作的工人被认为是暴露的。结果表明，设备必须按照用户手册正确使用。为了提高工人的安全水平，我们建议根据“ALARA”原则，引入闭路安全处理系统，并将暴露的持续时间和强度保持在最低水平。意大利 PTEW 的任务是通过追求共同使命，即提高患者和医院工作人员的健康和安全水平，实现卓越：改善公共卫生质量。
