ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETY

IN THE OPERATING THEATRE

ASH ehs vision
To be considered as a safe and healthy
environment that provides appropriate
working situations for all employees,
patients, visitors and contractors as
evidenced by having the lowest EHS
incidents as compared to other hospitals
in the UAE and internationally
ASH EHS MISSION
To achieve excellence in
Enviromental, Health and Safety
performance involving our
employees, stakeholders, patients,
visitors and contractors.
Fire safety
Chemical spills
Any incident involving the spill/release of
hazardous chemicals, mixtures of such
chemicals, or hazardous waste that sometimes
requires the intervention of spill cleanup
specialists to contain and remove the spilled
material safely.

It can be a MINOR or a MAJOR spill

Minor spill

an event that can be handled safely

without the assistance of EHS or
emergency response personnel.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MINOR SPILL?
Alert others in the immediate area.
Leave the immediate area without contaminating other
individuals and environments.
If clothing is contaminated, remove, folding contamination
inward, and treat as waste.
Refer to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and appropriate
cleanup guides for chemical spills.
Wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
appropriate for the material spilled (e.g., safety
goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc.).
Confine the spill to a limited area. Barricade and
isolate the area to prevent spread of
contamination. USE THE CHEMICAL SPILL KIT
Pick up broken glass with tongs, forceps, or
dustpan. Place in a puncture-resistant container.
Be aware of inhalation hazards. Use appropriate
neutralizer, disinfectant, and absorbents to
mitigate the spill.
Place spill cleanup materials in a container.
Wash arms, hands, and face with soap and water.
Major spill
an event that cannot be handled safely
without the assistance of EHS or
emergency response personnel, including
all events where a person is injured or
contaminated.

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MAJOR

SPILL?
Before contacting the EHS / Emergency Response
Personnel, be prepared to answer the following
questions:
What was released?
How much was released? (estimated
volume)
Time when release occurred and is it
continuing?
Location of release?
Are there injuries?
Is there damage to facilities?
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A MAJOR SPILL?

Attend to injured or contaminated persons.

Alert personnel in the area of the spill to evacuate the
immediate area.
Call EHS personnel / ERT
Have a person knowledgeable of the incident and the
material spilled available to assist emergency personnel.
Refer to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and appropriate cleanup
guides for chemical spills.
If spilled material is flammable, turn off heat and ignition
sources.
Close doors to contain vapors and prevent personnel entry.
If spill is radioactive, have potentially contaminated
persons stay in one area until monitored.
BLOOD SPILL

Blood spills or other human body fluids that

occur inside or in the outside environment need
to be decontaminated to prevent the potential
transmission of communicable disease.
The circumstances associated with blood spills
can obviously vary greatly depending on the
volume and type of contact surface.
A small amount of blood, if splashed, can cover
a large surface area. A large volume, if
undisturbed on a flat surface, can pool in a
relatively small area.
 WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A BLOOD SPILL?

KNOW THE LOCATION AND USE OUR BLOOD AND OTHER BODY
FLUIDS SPILL KIT
The individual(s) cleaning the blood spill need to use the proper
personal protective equipment (PPE), (e.g. water impervious gloves,
outerwear, goggles, etc.)
Spray the blood contaminated surfaces with a 1-10 solution of bleach
and water.
Absorb and remove all traces of the spill with paper towels or other
acceptable materials (Micro-encapsulation absorbent). Be careful not
to contaminate the outside of the spray bottle.
Re-spray the cleaned area with the bleach solution and allow to air dry.
Place all waste materials, including disposable PPE, into a plastic
autoclavable biohazard bag. Be careful not to contaminate the outside
of the bag.
 MATERIAL SAFETY
DATA SHEET (MSDS)
What is msds / sds?

An important component of product

stewardship and occupational safety and
health. It is a file which provides a complete
and detailed information about a hazardous
material.
SDSs are a widely used system for cataloging
information on chemicals, chemical
compounds, and chemical mixtures. SDS
information may include instructions for the
safe use and potential hazards associated with
a particular material or product. The SDS
should be available for reference in the area
where the chemicals are being stored or in use
 The SDS follows a 16 section format which is
internationally agreed and for substances
especially, the SDS should be followed with an
Annex which contains the exposure scenarios
of this particular substance

The 16 sections are as follows:

 SECTION 1: Identification of the
substance/mixture and of the
company/undertaking
SECTION 2: Hazards identification
SECTION 3:
Composition/information on
ingredients
SECTION 5: Firefighting measures
SECTION 6: Accidental release
measure
SECTION 7: Handling and storage
SECTION 8: Exposure
controls/personal protection
SECTION 9: Physical and chemical properties
SECTION 10: Stability and reactivity
SECTION 11: Toxicological information
SECTION 12: Ecological information
SECTION 13: Disposal considerations
SECTION 14: Transport information
SECTION 15: Regulatory information
SECTION 16: Other information
Ergonomic safety program