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MODULE 2 – Well Being of the MAVO
Objectives:
• Understand the possible safety issues that can pose a risk to the Mobility Assistance Operator
• Be familiar with the roles and responsibilities the employer and employee under 1910.1030, the
Bloodborne Pathogens standard
Safety of the Mobility Assistance Operator
A Mobility Assistance Operator, through the
daily activities of transporting individuals who
are elderly, sickly, or injured faces some
possible occupational hazards:
-
Physical harm from a safety hazard
-
Biological harm from an infection the
patient may transmit to the MAVO
-
Psychological harm from constant
contact with sick or elderly individuals
Physical Harm
Physical harm to the MAVO may occur during
the course of his or her duties. Possible
sources of harm can include a motor vehicle
collision, a slip-and-fall, or (most likely) a bad
lift during a transport. Lifting a patient
improperly can result in back pain or injury,
neurological damage, and other chronic
muscular-skeletal injuries. Prudent planning
of lifts and adhering to proper body mechanics
is critical in preventing injury to the MAVO.
Some common ways to minimize the chance
of injury from lifting include:
Not risking heavy lifts by yourself
– get help
when lifting patients that are beyond your
comfortable lifting ability.
Plan moves before executing them
– think out
your lift before commiting to it. Make sure you
are going about your lift the best and safest
way.
Using good body mechanics –
use the safe
lifting principles in Box 2-1 to minimize your
potential for injury.
Box 2-1: SAFE LIFTING PRINCIPLES
LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS, NOT WITH YOUR
BACK. Your legs contain some of the
strongest muscle groups in your body, and
are much less prone to injury than your
back. Squat down and use them to lift
heavy loads instead of brending down and
using your back.
KEEP WEIGHT CLOSE TO YOUR BODY.
Your ability to lift is much stronger near you
than far away from your body. By keeping
weight close you remain stronger and are
less prone to muscle strain or other injury.
PIVOT INSTEAD OF TWISTING. Injury
often results when an MAVO carrying a load
tries to twist his or her torso during a lift.
Keeping your torso facing in the same
direction as your legs will minimize your
chances of injury. To change direction, pivot
your entire body rather than twisting.
Biological Harm
Although an MAVO generally does not make
close contact with a patient, there is some
potential for an MAVO to be exposed to
transmissible disease from the patient. Some
illnesses an MAVO should be aware of
include
bloodborne illnesses such as
HIV or
Hepatitis B/C,
and airborne illnesses such as
Tuberculosis.
An in-depth discussion of transmission and
prevention of bloodborne illnesses is
discussed in the Bloodborne Pathogens
section of this module.