Download Hazards in a Vets office

What
types of hazards
are presented to
employees of a vet
clinic?
 Working
in a veterinary clinic can be
rewarding yet the employees are
exposed to several potential safety
hazards. In order to avoid these hazards,
they must first be identified.
 Safety hazards in the veterinary
workplace can be placed into five
categories.
 Physical
hazards may include the
following: cuts from sharp instruments,
being stepped on or kicked by large
animals, bites or scratches from small
animals, high noise levels, x-ray
radiation, and others.
 Chemical
hazards involve the exposure
to drugs, pesticides, anesthesia, and
others.
 Special care should be taken when
handling and administering chemicals.
 Biological
hazards include exposure to
vaccines, laboratory procedures, and
medical wastes such as blood, needles,
and syringes.
 Zoonotic
infections are infectious
diseases that can be transmitted between
animals and humans. Examples include:
rabies, tuberculosis, brucellosis, anthrax,
ringworm, and others.
 Parasitic
hazards involve the potential for
parasites to transmit disease from animal
to human. Flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and
fleas can all transmit disease from
animals to humans. Exposure to internal
parasites such as the hookworm or
roundworm can also be considered a
parasitic hazard.