Training on health risk and assessments in health facilities focussing on ventilation assessment launched at UCT

The Occupational Medicine Division hosted the first training workshop on “Health risk assessments in health facilities - a focus on ventilation assessment” in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the UCT Health Sciences campus between 22 and 23 June 2022. Professor Mohamed Jeebhay, Head of the Division, opened the workshop and highlighted that such collaborations were aligned to the Division’s goal of promoting access to clinical and technical expertise for staff working in primary and secondary level health facilities as well for those based in remote settings.

The two-day CPD-accredited practical workshop delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of experts was aimed at developing the health risk assessment skills of staff in provincial and municipal health facilities tasked with protecting health and safety of health workers. The staff that participated in the workshop included occupational medicine practitioners, occupational nursing practitioners, health and safety officers, infection prevention and control (IPC) practitioners as well as engineering/maintenance professionals. Occupational hygiene inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour were also present since they play an important role ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation in workplaces. The workshop focused on the role of ventilation assessment as an important engineering control measure for both SARS-Cov-2 and TB risk management in healthcare settings.

The feedback obtained from participants reinforced the value of such practical training with some reflecting that “the course went above expectations”, “the ventilation lectures and practical nature of the training was great, I can use this information to improve ventilation at my clinic” and that “the training was an eye opener and should be extended to a wider group of professionals involved in occupational health, safety and infection control”.

The training workshop convenor, Dr Itumeleng Ntatamala, noted that due to the overwhelming response to the advert, UCT and CSIR will deliver a second workshop in August this year. The collaboration was further enhanced through the CSIR donating four carbon-dioxide monitors to the Division for training purposes.