title: Occupational health and safety in hospitals accreditation system: the case of Lebanon.
abstract: Hospital accreditation can be an incentive to improve occupational health and safety (OHS) performance.
  
  
  
  This study assesses the relationship between status of accreditation among private Lebanese hospitals and compliance with OHS accreditation standards.
  
  
  
  A survey was administered to 68 private Lebanese hospitals to assess accreditation status and specific indicators related to each of the 9 OHS codes in the Lebanese accreditation manual. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and independent sample t-tests compared the OHS standards between accredited and non-accredited hospitals.
  
  
  
  Fifty-six percent of participating private hospitals were accredited. Accredited hospitals reported statistically better OHS performance than non-accredited hospitals based on the standards outlined in the accreditation manual. However, there was inconsistent performance on numerous OHS indicators among participating hospitals.
  
  
  
  The gaps in OHS performance suggest the need for strengthened OHS guidelines in the national accreditation process to safeguard workers' health. Strategies to fortify OHS performance include tying service reimbursement to OHS compliance and linking OHS standards with national labor legislation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Environmental Health , American University of Beirut , Beirut , Lebanon.
authors.forename: Rima R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.affiliation: b Department of Internal Medicine , American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon.
authors.forename: Ghandour
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6265-6772
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blanche
authors.affiliation: c Hariri School of Nursing , American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon.
authors.forename: Fares
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8547-2565
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Souha
authors.affiliation: d Department of Health Management and Policy , American University of Beirut , Beirut , Lebanon.
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: El-Jardali
authors.affiliation: a Department of Environmental Health , American University of Beirut , Beirut , Lebanon.
authors.forename: Iman
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nuwayhid
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Accreditation; Hospitals; Lebanon; Occupational health and safety