Occupational hazards and population-based prevention strategies for pharmacy workers in Canada.

Pharmacy settings pose various and unpredictable dangers to workers, including biological, chemical, psychosocial hazards. Pharmacy technicians and assistants are a vulnerable and at-risk population. Workers are exposed to unique workplace hazards that impact their physical, mental, and social wellbeing, such as exposure to hazardous medication, violent robberies, and challenges with occupational identity. In this paper, five key areas of hazard are explored: hazardous drug exposure, infections, violence, mental health issues, and social challenges. Each hazard area explored is accompanied with evidence-based recommendations that can be implemented at the population-level to support the wellbeing of pharmacy personnel. Overall, the paper calls for the better protection of pharmacy technicians and assistants from occupational hazards. The population health impact framework is utilized as a guide to create evidence-based recommendations that can benefit whole populations of pharmacy workers at local, provincial, and national scales in Canada, thereby ensuring long-lasting protective interventions that support this vulnerable occupation group. The study concludes by providing future direction for research efforts in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]