Ensuring Safe Travel for Field Health Workers

Travel Safety in OHS 3 Management for Field Health Workers

JurnalPost.com — When discussing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS 3), attention is often focused on buildings, equipment, or activities within healthcare facilities. However, the workspace of a health worker does not end at the facility's door. There are residents' homes to visit, remote settlements to reach, and communities that require direct service.

Between the health workers and the communities waiting for them lies a journey that also requires protection.

An outreach activity might only last a few hours. However, to reach the location, workers may face difficult terrain, water crossings, and unpredictable weather conditions.

When the activity concludes, the return journey must still be undertaken. Fatigue, limited communication networks, and the distance to emergency assistance are risk factors that must be accounted for in every assignment.

The question is, how seriously is travel safety considered in the planning of health service programs?

Diligence in preparing materials, participants, and activity reports should be matched by equal attention to the safety of the workers, from their departure until their return.

Healthcare services that reach out to the community require a work system that not only ensures the program is executed but also protects the people carrying it out.

Global data highlights the immense challenge of protecting worker safety. Based on estimates published in November 2023, the International Labour Organization (ILO) stated that approximately 330,000 workers die due to work-related accidents annually worldwide.

This figure underscores the importance of prevention in every work activity. In public health services, protection must be prioritized from the journey to the location, during the activity, and until the workers return safely.

Safety Begins Before Departure

"Be careful on the road" is a common message given before someone leaves for an assignment.

However, to what extent can workers rely on personal caution if the vehicle used is unroadworthy or the travel schedule does not allow for adequate rest?

Safety messages must be manifested through organizational decisions and policies, not merely as advice given before departure.

This is where the principles of the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS 3), as regulated in Government Regulation (PP) Number 50 of 2012, are relevant as a reference for managing work risks.

In field health service activities, these principles can be applied through the process of hazard identification, risk assessment, the establishment of control measures, and evaluation of their implementation.

Risk assessment should begin before an assignment is approved.

Minister of Health Regulation (Permenkes) Number 52 of 2018 concerning Occupational Health and Safety in Healthcare Facilities also places the identification of potential hazards and risk control as an essential part of implementing OHS 3 standards.

In field activities, this principle needs to be translated into preparation appropriate to the region's conditions. Workers and program managers must assess route conditions, select suitable transportation, and arrange schedules while considering weather and rest requirements.

Thus, the decision to depart has a clear safety basis, rather than being driven solely by the demand to complete the activity.

The results of the risk assessment must also influence operational decisions. Transportation must be inspected, drivers or operators must be verified as competent, and safety equipment must be provided based on potential hazards.

If the journey involves a boat, for example, life jackets must be available in sufficient numbers and worn throughout the trip.

When weather conditions or transport routes deteriorate, the option to change routes or postpone the trip must be a decision that can be made for the sake of safety.

Communication is a Vital Part of Worker Protection

Beyond ensuring the readiness of transportation and equipment, the safety of field health workers also requires a planned communication system.

Communication is not only necessary when workers have arrived at the location, but also during the journey to the activity site and upon their return.

There must be a party who knows the team's whereabouts, monitors the progress of the journey, and understands the steps to take if the workers do not check in at the agreed-upon time.

This becomes increasingly important when assignments are carried out in areas with limited communication networks.

In regions with limited signal or no telecommunications coverage, preparation must include determining communication points, the presence of local contacts, and reliable rescue routes in case of an emergency.

These mechanisms need to be agreed upon before departure, while coordination can still be easily managed.

Good communication planning helps the organization know when a team needs assistance, while also reducing the risk of delayed response if unexpected situations occur.

Community Service Requires Protection

Health workers who state that a trip is too risky are actually providing important information to the organization.

Such input should not be considered a form of reluctance to perform duties, but rather part of an effort to identify hazards before an accident occurs.

Information regarding road conditions, weather, vehicle roadworthiness, or limited transportation must be addressed through risk assessment and clear decision-making.

If a departure must be postponed, coordination and rescheduling can be a solution to maintain service continuity without ignoring team safety.

Commitment to safety must also be reflected in budget planning.

Costs for safe transportation, provision of safety equipment, communication needs, and rest time are part of the operational requirements that must be accounted for.

Safety should not be viewed as an additional cost that can be ignored, but as part of the organization's responsibility in executing programs.

After the assignment is completed, the travel experience also needs to be evaluated.

Obstacles encountered, whether in the form of route conditions, transportation disruptions, limited communication, or other potential hazards, must be recorded and followed up on.

In this way, one team's experience can become a learning tool to improve protection for workers carrying out subsequent assignments.

Program Success Must Also Be Measured by Worker Safety

The success of public health service activities is often measured by the number of participants, target achievement, report completeness, or the execution of programs according to schedule.

These indicators are certainly important. However, the safety of the workers carrying out the activities must also be part of the success evaluation.

A program executed according to targets does not fully reflect good management if travel risks were not adequately accounted for.

The return of workers without injury is something to be grateful for. However, this condition does not automatically indicate that all risks have been controlled.

Evaluation is still necessary to determine which safety measures have worked well and which aspects still require improvement.

The community needs health workers who can continue to be present to provide services. Therefore, maintaining their safety is part of the effort to sustain the continuity of healthcare services themselves.

Every plan to reach the community should also include a plan to protect the people carrying out those duties.

Travel safety is not an additional issue outside of service activities, but an inseparable part of OHS 3 management.

Because service to the community is not only measured by how far workers can reach service areas, but also by how the organization ensures they can perform their duties without sacrificing their safety.

Set out to make the community healthy, return home safely.