Safety equipment in the pharmacy
Safety equipment in the pharmacy
Labor protection and ensuring the safety of personnel is a very important and necessary part of any labor process. In this regard, special attention should be paid to employees of pharmacies and other similar enterprises, because people who work in pharmacies have direct contact with various medicinal products and their components. Every manager of a pharmacy, whether it is a small private retail outlet or a large chain of specialized stores, is obliged to ensure that the working conditions of the staff and safety equipment in the pharmacy comply with state regulations on occupational health and safety.
Labor protection organization
If the number of employees is more than 50, the manager is obliged to create an occupational safety service by introducing an occupational safety inspector into the staff. In small teams, specialists are invited for this purpose or these duties are assigned to one of the employees after mandatory special training. In addition, it is desirable to create a labor protection commission from representatives of the employer and the trade union or other body representing the employees. The powers of such commissions are determined by compliance with the instructions and provisions of the legislation in the field of OSH, prevention of injuries and occupational diseases at work, organization of inspections of workplaces and informing personnel about their results.
The manager is obliged to conclude a contract with a medical organization, where all employees of this enterprise will undergo primary and planned medical examinations. When entering work, an employee must undergo an initial medical examination at the employer's expense, after which a health card and passport will be issued in his name. During scheduled inspections, medical examination data are entered there at least every 12 months. It is the duty of every manager of a pharmacy to provide personnel with means of individual and collective protection, which includes overalls, special shoes, cosmetics and disinfectants to protect hands when working with chemicals in the creation of medicinal products. The manager is obliged to organize the timely provision of protective equipment, their washing, repair and issuance.
General safety requirements
Given the special nature of work in a pharmacy, there is a need to create a regulatory document on occupational safety for internal use. The employee who is responsible for this document must bring its content to the entire staff for signature and periodically conduct safety training in the pharmacy. Every employee must know their responsibilities for compliance with safety regulations. A pharmacist who works with clients or an administrator at a computer, each of them has its own peculiarities of work and its own safety rules.
The manager is obliged to provide each workplace with certified equipment that meets the requirements of safety at work. Employees are obliged to observe safety rules at their workplace, to maintain sterility during the manufacture of medicinal products, to monitor the timely disposal of waste. In addition, the pharmacist must be able to provide first aid, as his work consists in direct contact with sick people.
According to the Labor Code, working in a pharmacy is equated to working with harmful and dangerous working conditions. Contact with chemicals, medicines and sick people creates an increased danger for the health of personnel. In this regard, both initial medical examinations at the time of employment and periodic examinations of the physical and mental state of health of pharmacy workers are provided. This is one of the main conditions for employment in any pharmaceutical company. The manager has the right to suspend from work an employee who has not passed a scheduled medical examination.
Learning management
People with different qualification levels are employed in the pharmacy. It can be both an experienced worker and a young student. The manager is obliged to provide not only initial training instruction, but also periodic training to increase the level of professional knowledge of the staff. These include: the ability to competently work with visitors, work with equipment and medicines, knowledge of documentation and legislation. For a first-timer, a pharmacist, a manager or a driver, the learning process has its own nuances depending on the specifics of the work process. The rapid and constant updating of technologies and the introduction of new requirements for the qualifications of specialists stimulates the process of training employees.
The manager's task includes the organization of the staff training process to improve the efficiency of each employee's work at his workplace. Now there is more than one form of education, when the lecturer drew diagrams in the assembly hall. The development of technology and the Internet offer a wide range of opportunities. Which of them is more effective for each employee, the manager must determine and implement. It can be webinars, computer training or individual training. It all depends on the character of each person. The process of professional development should be like a sign of trust in the employee, and he, in turn, should have an incentive to study. Staff training is recommended at least once every three years.
Safety training
The manager or an occupational health and safety specialist is obliged to inform the staff of the provisions on safety at work. Instruction on safety techniques in the pharmacy includes several points:
General safety requirements
Only specialists who have undergone training, initial and introductory instruction and have documents confirming this are allowed to work in the pharmacy. Every employee must know how to safely work with chemicals and equipment, how to properly use equipment and protective equipment.
Compliance with safety rules before starting work
Before starting work, personnel are obliged to put their workplaces in order in accordance with sanitary standards and hygiene requirements.
Safety during work
During work, employees are required to follow safety rules when working with chemicals, use personal protective equipment and follow personal hygiene rules. When working with apparatus and equipment, follow the instructions in the technical passports.
Actions in an emergency situation
In the event of an emergency situation, the employee is obliged to notify this management, provide assistance to the victims, take measures to preserve the situation at the time of the accident for further investigation, if it does not threaten the health and life of people, or to start liquidating the consequences. In the event of more serious accidents, take measures to save property and evacuate personnel.
Safety rules after work
After finishing work, each employee is obliged to turn off the equipment, carry out sanitary treatment of the workplace, and carry out procedures in accordance with the requirements of personal hygiene for the pharmacy staff.
Document management
Document flow is a very important aspect in the work of any pharmacy. All documents are divided into three categories:
weekend Documents sent from the pharmacy to third-party organizations are called outgoing. This interaction with suppliers, tax authorities and other organizations.
incoming Documents received by the pharmacy from other organizations are called incoming.
Internal The orders of the pharmacy management to be implemented by the staff and regulate the activities inside a separate pharmacy are called internal documents.
Persons responsible for working with documents are obliged to monitor their registration and execution, receive and send documentation in the required time. Accounting specialists work with financial documents.
Management of certification of workplaces
According to the Labor Code, every manager and individual entrepreneur is obliged to carry out attestation of workplaces in order to improve occupational health and safety in a pharmacy organization. For this purpose, an order is issued to create a commission consisting of representatives of organizations certified by the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. Attestation of workplaces includes: assessment of sanitary requirements; trauma safety; availability of personal protective equipment. Based on the results of the inspection, a workplace attestation card is filled out, which reflects compliance with hygiene requirements, safety standards and the availability of personal protective equipment for each inspected workplace.
Compliance with occupational health and safety regulations and requirements is one of the most important fundamental aspects of the start and further development of both a pharmacy and any other business.
