Hi. Is there a current occupational health and safety standard relating to stacking of instrument trays in CSSD? In my experience, I find that there exist a great risk of injury to staff members in unloading or loading instrument trays, particularly heavy orthopaedic trays, stacked so high up (way above 6ft from the floor).

Yours,
kim geyrozaga
london, UK

Dear,

I'm not aware of any standard related to stacking of instrument trays.
Question Q00096 gives information on maximum weights for individual packs from an ergonomic and sterilization-technical viewpoint.
Stacking of heavy trays can indeed be a problem but I think you only can solve it in consultation with the orthopaedic service and with common sense.
The Dutch OSHA (Arbo) guidelines dictate as general rule:
"Work will be organised as such, the work place equipped as such, a such production and work method is used or such means and personal protection are used, that the physical stress can cause no dangers for the safety and health of the worker."

A good weekend,
Wim Renders

Your occupational health service might be able to help you with this. There are various limits to the amount of weight allowed to be lifted under the manual handling regulations from the Health & Safety Commission. (The weight allowed to be lifted decreases with the height to be raised in relation to a persons body. eg a larger mass can be lifted to waist height than that lifted to chest height.)

Robert Allan