Assessing occupational risk in emergency primary health care services

The establishment of emergency primary health care services has led to a need to evaluate risk factors for this specific setting as opposed to other emergency care sites, such as hospitals or clinics. Risks must be identified, assessed, and corrective measures proposed. In compliance with legislation for prevention of occupational risk, we evaluated the exposure to risk of emergency primary health care staff to identify threats to hygiene, bring existing hazards under control to prevent occupational injury, identify adverse psychosocial conditions, determine the level of risk and intervention needed for each identified risk factor, and plan corrective steps. [Emergencias 2009;22:445-450]