5 8 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7
H
ave a nice trip.
See you next
fall. Taking a
tumble in the
OR is no
laughing matter. From cables and
cords to kick buckets and step
stools, the surgical suite is a mine-
field of potential slipping and trip-
ping hazards. Surgical staff hit the
deck. A lot. And more than their
egos are bruised when they trip
over cords or slip on fluid. In an
Outpatient Surgery Magazine
survey of 379 facility leaders, 60%
said a staff member or a surgeon
sustained an injury from slipping or
falling in the OR. For 25%, it was a serious injury.
Karen Hausteen, RN, CNOR, of Phoenix, Ariz., remembers the time she nearly
broke her hip during a case. She was scrubbed in and standing on a step stool to
assist. "The circulator had draped the grounding pad cord behind me, without
saying anything. When I stepped off the stool I tripped and fell to the side and
back. I barely missed hitting the sterile back table. Thank heavens I did not
break my hip!"
The hard fall bruised Ms. Hausteen from waist to knee. It was an expensive
fall in terms of X-rays and time off work, but it could have been much worse.
Prevent Slips, Trips & Falls in the OR
Cords, clutter, puddles and other hazards
can lead to workplace injuries.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
WATCH YOUR STEP The floor of a
surgical suite is littered with potential
slipping and tripping hazards.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
