Introduction
The Environmental and Safety Unit of KFHU is committed to creating, promoting and maintaining a safe, healthy environment for all employees, patients and visitors of KFHU.
The Environmental and Safety Unit of King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU) is formed to identify and manage the risks of the environments of care. The specific risks of each environment are identified by conducting and maintaining a proactive risk assessment. An Environmental Safety Plan based on applicable laws, regulations, and accreditation standards is designed to manage the specific risks identified in each clinical area at KFHU.
Purpose
The purpose of the Environmental and Safety Unit is to promote an institutional culture that will develop the King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU) system into the safest environment possible for patients, staff and visitors. The Unit ensures that implementation of safety management strategy is observed throughout KFHU. A clearly identified, measured, followed, and regularly evaluated risk assessment plan for all KFHU departments has been established by the Unit.
Responsibility
The Environmental & Safety Unit is responsible to provide a safe, functional, supportive and effective environment for patients, staff members and other individuals. Effective management of the environment of care includes using processes and activities to:
- Reduce and control environmental hazards and risks
- Prevent accidents and injuries
- Maintain safe conditions for patients, visitors and staff
- Maintain an environment which is sensitive to patient needs for comfort, social interaction, positive distraction, and self-control
- Maintain an environment which minimizes unnecessary environmental stresses for patients, visitors and staff
Objectives
- Perform an initial risk assessment of the buildings, grounds, equipment, staff activities, and the care and work environment for patients and employees to evaluate the potential adverse impact on all persons coming KFHU.
- Perform additional risk assessments when changes involving these issues occur.
- Analyze accidents, incidents, and occurrences to identify root cause analysis of those incidents.
- Make changes in the procedures and controls to address identified root causes of incidents.
- Conduct environmental rounds in all areas of the hospital and offices. Evaluates the physical environment, equipment, and work practices. Rounds are conducted in all support areas at least annually and all patient care areas at least semi-annually.
- The reports identify key issues of performance and regulatory compliance, present recommendations for improvement, and provide information about ongoing activities to resolve previously identified environment of care issues.
- Assure that all departments have current organization wide and department specific procedures and controls designed to manage identified risks.
- Review the risks and related procedures and controls at least once every three years to assure that the plan is current.
- Assign qualified individuals to manage the environment of care plan and to respond to immediate threats to life and health.
- Perform an annual evaluation of the environmental safety plan and the scope, objectives performance and effectiveness of the plan.
- Design and present environmental safety education and training to all new and current employees, volunteers, members of the medical staff and others as appropriate.
Scope of Services
The scope of service of the Environmental and Safety Unit covers patients, visitors, students and staff including medical staff. The Unit addresses maintenance and improvement of patient safety in every department throughout KFHU.
The Unit includes an ongoing assessment and environmental rounds to prevent error occurrence and to maintain and improve safety in KFHU. ESU supports the safety and environmental program through consultation with, and assistance to, development of safety and environmental rules, procedures and processes; and incident investigations with recommendations to enhance safety and environmental procedures. ESU also ensures that collection and disposal of hazardous materials are done according to the established procedure.
