Occupational health and safety in hospitals accreditation system: the case of Lebanon

Figures & data

Table 1 Basic descriptive statistics of participating hospitals (N = 68)

	Total		Accredited 38 (56%)	Not accredited* 30 (44%)
	N	%	n (%)	n (%)
Hospital location
Main cities	43	63.2	24 (63.2)	19 (63.3)
Villages	25	36.8	14 (36.8)	11 (36.7)
Hospital size
Small-sized (≤100 beds)	39	57.4	17 (44.7)	22 (73.3)
Medium- to large-sized (>100 beds)	29	42.6	21 (55.3)	8 (26.7)
Total Number of beds, Mean ± SD	112.5 ±102.1		142.4 ±122.6	74.47 ±47.3
Teaching status of the hospitals
Non-teaching	52	76.5	29 (76.3)	23 (76.7)
Teaching	16	23.5	9 (21.1)	7 (23.3)

^* Category of Not accredited include Hospitals that are in process of pursuing accreditation (n = 26), applied for accreditation and was rejected (n = 3), and never applied for accreditation (n = 1).

Table 2 Indicators of private hospitals’ compliance with OHS codes (1 to 4) in the Lebanese accreditation manual

	Total		Accredited 38 (56%)	Not accredited 30 (44%)	P-value
	N = 68	%	n (%)	n (%)
(OH1) Availability of an OHS officer
Presence of an OHS officer	68	100.0	38 (100.0)	30 (100.0)
OHS officer hired solely for the OHS job/position	8	11.8	5 (13.2)	3 (10.0)	1.00
Number of years in OHS position
≤1 year	23	33.8	10 (26.3)	13 (43.3)	0.20
1.1 to 4 years	22	32.4	12 (31.6)	10 (33.3)
>4 years	23	33.8	16 (53.4)	7 (23.3)
Number of months in OHS position, Mean ± SD	43.8±44.2		56.5±51.5	27.7±25.6	0.01
(OH2) Establishment of an OHS committee
Presence of an OHS committee	67	98.5	38 (100.0)	29 (96.7)	0.44
Committee members trained on OHS principles
Yes, all	34	50.0	24 (63.2)	10 (33.3)
Yes, some	31	45.6	14 (36.8)	17 (56.7)	0.01
None	3	4.4	0 (0.0)	3 (10.0)
Committee members trained in one of the following topics related to OHS
OHS policies and procedures	60	88.2	37 (97.4)	23 (76.7)	0.02
Workplace safety inspection	53	77.9	31 (81.6)	22 (73.3)	0.42
Committee members trained on how the OHS program functions in their respective hospital	51	75.0	32 (84.2)	19 (63.3)	0.05
(OH3) Availability of employees’ health and safety program
Presence of an operational OHS program	66	97.1	36 (94.7)	30 (100.0)	0.50
(OH4) Existence of a policy and procedure manual describing the OHS system/service at the hospitals
Existence of clearly stated OHS policies and procedures	68	100.0	38 (100.0)	30 (100.0)
Existence of policies and procedures for employee illness	61	89.7	36 (94.7)	25 (83.3)	0.23

P-Value entries in boldface indicate a significant relationship (P-value < 0.05).

Table 3 Indicators of private hospitals’ compliance with OH codes (5 to 9) in the Lebanese accreditation manual

	Total		Accredited 38 (56%)	Not accredited 30 (44%)	P-value
	N	%	n (%)	n (%)
(OH5) Exposure of staff to OHS information
Hospital staff trained on OHS matters	68	100.0	38 (100)	30 (100)
Percent of hospital staff trained on OHS issues, Mean ± SD	79.3 ± 2733		81.3 ± 25.0	76.8 ± 30.2	0.50
Hospital staff trained on:
Risk management	57	83.8	34 (89.5)	23 (76.7)	0.19
Radiation safety	59	86.8	35 (92.1)	24 (80.0)	0.17
Bio-safety	54	79.4	33 (86.8)	21 (70.0)	0.09
Handling of dangerous goods	47	69.1	28 (73.7)	19 (63.3)	0.34
Hazardous substances	56	82.4	34 (89.5)	22 (73.3)	0.11
Office safety	56	82.4	37 (97.4)	19 (63.3)	<0.00
(OH6) Accident/incident reporting and their resolution procedure
Existence of a form for reporting incident/accident	67	98.5	38 (100.0)	29 (96.7)	0.44
Information collected on the report form include:
Incident/accident without reported injuries	6	8.8	2 (5.3)	4 (13.3)	0.39
Incident/accident with reported injuries or material damage	37	54.4	18 (47.4)	19 (63.3)	0.19
Type of external event	13	19.1	8 (21.1)	5 (16.7)	0.65
(OH7) Availability of evidence of OHS data
Usage of a unique report form for all types of work incident/accident throughout the hospital	65	95.6	37 (97.4)	28 (93.3)	0.58
(OH8) Availability of an OHS hazard identification audit
Frequency of carrying out OHS hazard identification audits
Less frequently (every 12 months or more)	48	71.6	26 (68.4)	22 (73.3)
Frequently (every 3 or 6 months)	19	28.4	12 (31.6)	7 (23.3)	0.59
(OH9) Availability of a hazard reporting system
Availability of hazard communication system	62	91.2	35 (92.1)	27 (90.0)	0.76

Note: P-Value entries in boldface indicate a significant relationship (P-value < 0.05).

Table 4 Other indicators of private hospitals’ OHS performance that are not included in the accreditation manual

	Total		Accredited 38 (56%)	Not accredited 30 (44%)	P-value
	N	%	n (%)	n (%)
Practices and safety measures introduced to hospital:
Sharps management systems – such as needleless systems to prevent needle sticks and safe injection practices to prevent transmission of infections to patients	66	97.1	38 (100.0)	28 (93.3)	0.19
Work organizations – such as job rotation to minimize hazardous exposure to one particular worker	47	69.1	29 (76.3)	18 (60.0)	0.15
Introduction of equipment to help minimize ergonomic problems – such as a medical chair for back pain	38	55.9	23 (60.5)	15 (50.0)	0.38
Mandatory vaccination (for HBV and MMR)	59	86.8	33 (86.8)	26 (86.7)	0.90
Emergency preparedness – fire alarms and radiation emergencies	60	88.2	37 (97.4)	23 (76.7)	0.02
Presence of an incentive system at the hospital for workers’ compliance with OHS standards	19	28.4	13 (34.2)	6 (20.0)	0.22

Note: P-Value entries in boldface indicate a significant relationship (P-value < 0.05).