Healthcare Workplace Occupational Health and Safety Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Health and Safety Officers, Clinical Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-OHS-009

Before you join: Participants should understand basic workplace safety terms and have some exposure to healthcare operations, clinical support services, facilities management, quality, risk or human resources.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Healthcare workplaces expose staff, patients, contractors and visitors to interdependent risks: infection exposure, sharps injuries, hazardous medicines, patient handling, violence, fatigue, fire, medical gases and equipment failures. Safety leaders must control these risks while protecting continuity of care, clinical quality, privacy and patient dignity. This requires more than policy knowledge. It requires sound risk assessment, clear controls, credible incident investigation, effective consultation and evidence that controls work.

This intermediate course develops the practical occupational health and safety skills required in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, aged-care services, community health facilities and healthcare support functions. Participants apply ISO 45001 principles, the hierarchy of controls, risk matrices, Bow-tie analysis and root-cause investigation methods to healthcare scenarios. They learn to identify legal and operational duties, assess clinical and non-clinical hazards, plan controls, manage contractor risks, investigate incidents, audit performance and report meaningful safety indicators.

Instruction combines short technical briefings with healthcare case work, facilitated group analysis, incident simulations and structured application planning. Participants progressively build a workplace health and safety management pack using their own service, department or a realistic case facility. They leave with an occupational health and safety improvement plan, risk register, incident investigation record, audit checklist, emergency preparedness review and performance dashboard specification that can be adapted for immediate workplace use.

The course suits professionals who hold responsibility for safety performance or who support clinical operations, facilities, quality, human resources or risk management. It is particularly relevant where participants must translate safety requirements into controls that frontline teams can understand, follow and monitor.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess healthcare hazards using task-based risk assessment and a documented risk matrix.
  • Apply the hierarchy of controls to infection, sharps, manual handling and violence risks.
  • Develop an ISO 45001-aligned occupational health and safety management plan.
  • Investigate healthcare incidents using the five whys, causal factor charting and corrective actions.
  • Construct a healthcare risk register with owners, controls, residual ratings and review dates.
  • Plan emergency arrangements for fire, evacuation, medical gases, spills and infectious disease events.
  • Audit workplace controls using inspection checklists, evidence sampling and corrective-action tracking.
  • Present a complete occupational health and safety improvement case for a healthcare facility.

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce defensible healthcare risk assessments rather than relying on generic hazard lists
  • Lead incident reviews that identify system causes and usable corrective actions
  • Communicate safety controls clearly with clinical, facilities and support teams
  • Build evidence for progression into health and safety, quality or risk roles
  • Handle occupational exposure, manual handling and violence concerns with greater confidence

For your organisation

  • More consistent risk controls for high-frequency healthcare workplace hazards
  • Better incident learning through structured causal analysis and action ownership
  • Clearer evidence of safety management activity for internal and external review
  • Reduced gaps between clinical operations, facilities, infection prevention and safety teams
  • Practical improvement plans linked to accountable owners, dates and performance measures

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain the structure, duties and operating elements of a healthcare occupational health and safety system.

  • Healthcare worker safety duties, patient interfaces and shared workplace responsibilities
  • ISO 45001 clauses applied to hospitals, clinics and support services
  • Employer, manager, supervisor and worker accountabilities for safety performance
  • Safety policy, objectives and governance arrangements for healthcare facilities
  • Worker consultation structures, safety committees and representative participation methods
  • Document control for procedures, permits, records and corrective actions

Participants can identify applicable occupational health and safety duties and translate them into operational requirements.

  • Legal duty mapping for employers, officers, workers, visitors and contractors
  • Due diligence evidence: inspections, training, consultation, resources and review
  • Applicable codes of practice for healthcare workplace safety controls
  • Licensing, certification and inspection obligations affecting healthcare operations
  • Gap analysis comparing current procedures against legal and standard requirements
  • Escalation routes for unresolved hazards and imminent serious risks

Participants can identify clinical, environmental, psychosocial and operational hazards through structured workplace review.

  • Hazard identification using walk-through inspections and task observation techniques
  • Clinical areas assessed for sharps, exposure, equipment and workflow hazards
  • Non-clinical hazards within kitchens, laundries, stores and administration areas
  • Worker interviews used to reveal workarounds, fatigue and reporting barriers
  • Safety data sources: incidents, complaints, maintenance records and absenteeism
  • Hazard registers structured by location, task, source and exposed persons

Participants can complete and prioritise task-based risk assessments using defined likelihood and consequence criteria.

  • Task-based risk assessment from preparation through cleanup and handover
  • Risk matrix calibration using credible likelihood and consequence descriptors
  • Existing-control verification before assigning initial and residual risk ratings
  • Exposure groups identified: staff, patients, contractors, students and visitors
  • Risk acceptance criteria linked to management approval and escalation
  • Risk register entries with control owners, deadlines and review triggers

Participants can select and justify controls using the hierarchy of controls for healthcare hazards.

  • Hierarchy of controls applied before reliance on training and PPE
  • Elimination and substitution options for hazardous clinical products and tasks
  • Engineering controls including ventilation, shielding, guards and safer equipment
  • Administrative controls: staffing, procedures, scheduling, signage and supervision
  • Personal protective equipment selection, fit, availability and user limitations
  • Control effectiveness testing through observation, monitoring and worker feedback

Participants can plan workplace controls for infectious disease and bloodborne pathogen exposure.

  • Standard precautions applied to routine patient contact and specimen handling
  • Transmission-based precautions matched to contact, droplet and airborne routes
  • Exposure risk assessment for respiratory pathogens and emerging infections
  • Vaccination, respiratory protection and health surveillance programme considerations
  • Post-exposure procedures for bloodborne pathogens, bites and body-fluid splashes
  • Isolation room controls, airflow checks and access management requirements

Participants can reduce sharps injuries and manage healthcare waste hazards through source-to-disposal controls.

  • Sharps injury pathways mapped from procedure setup to final disposal
  • Safety-engineered devices evaluated using user feedback and incident data
  • Sharps container placement, fill limits and replacement responsibilities
  • Needlestick response protocols covering first aid, reporting and follow-up
  • Clinical waste segregation by infectious, pharmaceutical, chemical and general streams
  • Waste handling controls for internal transport, storage and contractor collection

Participants can assess chemical, pharmaceutical and gas hazards and specify appropriate workplace controls.

  • Safety data sheets interpreted for exposure routes and control measures
  • Chemical inventory development covering disinfectants, sterilants and laboratory reagents
  • Cytotoxic drug handling controls from receipt through waste disposal
  • Medical gas hazards: cylinders, pipeline systems, oxygen enrichment and alarms
  • Spill response planning for chemicals, pharmaceuticals and hazardous medicines
  • Local exhaust ventilation checks and respiratory protection decision criteria

Participants can assess manual handling tasks and plan safer patient movement and ergonomic controls.

  • Patient handling assessment considers mobility, weight, cooperation and clinical attachments
  • Safe patient handling plans specify equipment, staffing and communication steps
  • Hoists, slide sheets and transfer aids matched to task demands
  • Ergonomic assessment of medication preparation, documentation and laboratory workstations
  • Repetitive task controls for cleaning, laundry and food-service activities
  • Equipment inspection, maintenance and user competency records for transfer aids

Participants can assess and control violence, aggression, fatigue and psychosocial risks affecting healthcare workers.

  • Violence risk assessment for emergency, mental health and reception areas
  • De-escalation procedures, duress alarms and security response arrangements
  • Incident reporting distinctions between aggression, assault, threats and harassment
  • Psychosocial hazard assessment covering workload, role clarity and support
  • Fatigue controls using roster review, breaks and overtime monitoring
  • Post-incident support, investigation and return-to-work referral pathways

Participants can manage workplace safety risks associated with healthcare plant, equipment and electrical systems.

  • Medical equipment safety checks, defect tagging and maintenance escalation
  • Electrical safety inspections for portable devices, leads and powerboards
  • Lockout-tagout principles for maintenance on plant and energy sources
  • Pressure systems, boilers and sterilizers managed through inspection schedules
  • Safe access controls for plant rooms, roofs and restricted areas
  • Preventive maintenance records reviewed for recurring hazard trends

Participants can develop emergency arrangements that protect staff and patients during healthcare incidents.

  • Fire risk assessment considers ignition, fuel, oxygen and evacuation constraints
  • Progressive horizontal evacuation principles for dependent patients and residents
  • Emergency roles assigned for wardens, clinical leads and incident coordinators
  • Medical gas shutdown procedures coordinated with clinical continuity requirements
  • Emergency plans for spills, utility failure, violence and infectious outbreaks
  • Drill evaluation records capture timing, communication failures and corrective actions

Participants can control safety risks created by contractors, visitors and project work within healthcare premises.

  • Contractor prequalification checks examine competence, insurance and safety arrangements
  • Permit-to-work systems for hot work, confined spaces and isolation tasks
  • Construction infection-control risk assessment during renovation and demolition activities
  • Site induction requirements cover patient areas, access routes and emergency procedures
  • Visitor management controls address restricted areas, infection and security risks
  • Contractor performance reviews use inspections, incidents and closeout evidence

Participants can investigate healthcare safety incidents and produce evidence-based corrective action plans.

  • Incident classification distinguishes injury, exposure, near miss and dangerous occurrence
  • Immediate response protects people, preserves evidence and maintains essential services
  • Five whys analysis separates contributing conditions from superficial explanations
  • Causal factor charting maps events, decisions, barriers and failed controls
  • Witness interviews use open questions, chronology and factual documentation
  • Corrective actions specify control level, owner, deadline and verification method

Participants can plan inspections and audits that test the implementation and effectiveness of safety controls.

  • Inspection schedules prioritise high-risk areas, tasks and recurring incident patterns
  • Audit criteria derived from procedures, legal duties and ISO 45001
  • Evidence sampling includes records, observations, interviews and physical conditions
  • Nonconformities written with objective evidence, requirement and risk statement
  • Corrective-action registers track containment, root cause and effectiveness review
  • Management review inputs include audit trends, incidents and resource needs

Participants can design useful safety measures and reports for operational and senior management decisions.

  • Leading indicators track inspections, training, action closure and worker consultation
  • Lagging indicators analyse injuries, exposures, lost time and recurrence
  • Rates normalised using hours worked, headcount or patient activity measures
  • Control charts distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause signals
  • Safety dashboards present trends, overdue actions and priority risks clearly
  • Board reports link safety performance to decisions, accountability and resources

Participants can plan occupational health programmes that prevent harm and support safe work participation.

  • Health surveillance criteria linked to exposure profiles and legal requirements
  • Pre-employment, periodic and post-exposure assessments managed with confidentiality safeguards
  • Fit testing and respiratory protection records maintained for exposed workers
  • Return-to-work plans coordinate restrictions, adjustments and clinical advice
  • Occupational health data analysed without disclosing personal medical information
  • Wellbeing programmes distinguished from controls for identified psychosocial hazards

Participants can plan consultation and competency arrangements that support reliable safety behaviours.

  • Consultation plans identify affected workers before safety changes are implemented
  • Training needs analysis links roles, hazards, controls and competency evidence
  • Competency matrices distinguish induction, refresher, task-specific and supervisory requirements
  • Toolbox talks address local hazards, recent events and control changes
  • Just culture principles encourage reporting while maintaining fair accountability
  • Safety communications tested for clarity, accessibility and frontline relevance

Participants can convert risk findings into a prioritised safety improvement plan with accountable implementation.

  • Improvement priorities ranked by risk, legal duty, feasibility and resource needs
  • SMART actions assigned to accountable owners, milestones and due dates
  • Change impact assessment considers workflow, staffing, equipment and patient care
  • Implementation plans include communication, training, procurement and assurance activities
  • Barrier analysis anticipates resistance, workarounds and competing operational pressures
  • Effectiveness reviews confirm controls operate as intended after implementation

Participants can build, review and present a complete occupational health and safety improvement case for a healthcare workplace.

  • Facility profile defines services, workforce, patient groups and operating constraints
  • Risk register prioritises clinical, facilities, psychosocial and contractor hazards
  • Bow-tie analysis identifies preventive barriers and recovery controls for priority risks
  • Incident investigation findings inform targeted corrective actions and learning priorities
  • Audit evidence tests control implementation, gaps and management-system effectiveness
  • Improvement plan integrates owners, measures, resources, review dates and governance
  • Participant presentation defends priorities, controls and assurance arrangements to stakeholders

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Healthcare occupational health and safety management plan template
  2. Task-based healthcare risk register
  3. Incident investigation and corrective-action record
  4. Healthcare safety inspection and audit checklist
  5. Emergency preparedness and evacuation review template
  6. Safety performance dashboard specification

Who should attend

  • Health and Safety Officers — need healthcare-specific methods for controlling workplace risks
  • Clinical Managers — oversee staff safety alongside patient care and service delivery
  • Facilities Managers — manage physical plant, contractors, fire and utility hazards
  • Infection Prevention Practitioners — coordinate occupational exposure controls and staff protection
  • Quality and Risk Managers — connect incident learning, assurance and improvement actions
  • Human Resources Managers — address worker health, fatigue, violence and return-to-work matters

Skills and tools covered

Healthcare risk assessmentIncident investigationSafety management systemsInfection exposure controlEmergency preparednessSafety performance reporting

Tools and standards

ISO 45001, Hierarchy of Controls, Bow-tie analysis, Five Whys

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish methods, standards and healthcare safety requirements. Participants analyse hospital, clinic, laboratory and aged-care cases; work in groups on risk assessments, control selection, incident reviews and audit findings; and take part in emergency and consultation simulations. Each module adds material to a workplace safety management pack. Facilitated peer review tests whether proposed controls are practical for frontline staff, contractors and managers. Individual application planning links course outputs to participants’ own services and responsibilities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic workplace safety terms and have some exposure to healthcare operations, clinical support services, facilities management, quality, risk or human resources. Experience with local incident reporting, safety inspections or workplace procedures is useful but not essential. The course assumes participants can read workplace policies and interpret simple risk ratings. Prior certification in occupational health and safety, clinical qualifications, audit credentials or detailed knowledge of ISO 45001 are not required. Participants should bring examples of current safety issues if organisational policy permits sharing them.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have basic familiarity with workplace safety or healthcare operations. You do not need a formal safety qualification, clinical licence or prior ISO 45001 training.

Bring a laptop if possible and examples of non-confidential safety procedures, risk registers or recurring workplace issues. Course materials and case documents are provided.

It is designed for health and safety personnel, clinical managers, facilities managers, infection prevention staff, quality professionals and human resources managers. It also suits professionals taking on wider safety responsibilities in a healthcare service.

The course uses healthcare-specific hazards, including infection exposure, patient handling, sharps, clinical waste, medical gases and dependent-patient evacuation. It also addresses the relationship between staff safety, patient care and clinical operations.

You will build reusable documents throughout the course, including risk assessments, incident records, audit tools and an improvement plan. These can be adapted to your department or facility after the course.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes risk, control and exposure-management methods; the second week covers assurance, performance, improvement planning and the final management case.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

Related courses in Occupational Health & Safety