title: Hazards of the health care sector: looking beyond infectious disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Possessing every hazard class, the health care sector poses significant health threats to its workforce in both high-resource settings and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to examine the applicability of the classical hierarchy of hazard control technologies in resource-constrained health care settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a biologic and chemical hazard example, the hazard control hierarchy was applied for risk mitigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even when resource constraints force a reordered selection of hazard control elements, risk reduction can be achieved across a variety of hazard classes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For LMICs with limited resources, the hazard control hierarchy can be effectively employed, although the selection of methods may be reordered, to achieve significant hazard control. Such prevention strategies can thereby strengthen and sustain a critical pillar of the health system, its workforce.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: mmcdiarm@medicine.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McDiarmid
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D019981:Health Care Sector; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: global health care sector; health and safety; occupational health