HCPro.com: Hospital Safety Center

Health care facilities face new requirements by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) this year. Is your facility ready? Be prepared with Briefings on Hospital Safety, the monthly newsletter that's full of the latest information on environment of care standards as well how to comply with other agency regulations, including OSHA and the EPA.

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April 2008 (Volume 16, Issue 4)	view entire issue

Help on hiring an emergency management coordinator
Emergency planning is taking on a life of its own in many hospitals, just like the safety officer's job evolved over the years to reflect today's complicated system of environmental health and safety. Emergency preparedness covers a similarly complex system of regulations and standards that overlap with traditional safety concerns. Throw in necessary networking with local, state, and federal health authorities and emergency responders-and on top of that, perhaps grant writing-and it's not surprising hospitals are now breaking out emergency management job duties into a separate, full-time position. (See the sample job description one hospital group posted below.)

OSHA clarifies its PPE requirements for phlebotomists
OSHA has shed light on how it interprets personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for phlebotomists within the bloodborne pathogens standard (1910.1030). The new information comes in the form of an interpretation letter, which presents OSHA's formal opinions on the topic. In the online letter, OSHA states the following: Although phlebotomists typically wear laboratory coats or smocks, OSHA doesn't strictly require such clothing as PPE. It's up to the individual hospital to evaluate the skill level of phlebotomists and their bloodborne exposure risks, and base PPE on those determinations.

Adopt these recordkeeping ideas for your EC efforts
Editor's note: Dean Samet, CHSP, director of regulatory compliance services for Smith Seckman Reid, Inc., based in Nashville, will present the keynote address at HCPro's Second Annual Hospital Safety Symposium, which takes place May 8-9 in Las Vegas. Go to www.greeley.com/seminars for full details and to register. In this Q&A, Samet discusses documentation best practices for Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) compliance efforts.

Ensure your spring cleaning sends birds, rodents packing
Pigeons, rodents, ants, and other pests are more than just nuisances as spring rolls around. These animals and insects can bring diseases along with them, which is enough of a threat to warrant a review of your pest control policies. Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI, has dealt with its share of pigeon problems on its campus. "We have vents, ventilation, parking structures-[and] the pigeons were traveling from one to another," says Frank Sorentino, site and structural superintendent for the hospital. "We used to get a ton of calls from employees complaining that [the pigeons] were messy."

Other recently-published articles from Hospital Safety Center:

Avoid violence in the emergency department

Hospital finds life safety, disaster prep reviews helpful

Ring in 2009 with a better emergency preparedness plan

There is a familiar feel to DNV’s safety standards

Healthcare’s "dirty little secret" can create a big security challenge

Ten tips to prepare for a surge in pediatric patients

Specialty hospital recovers after document slipups

Hospitals live through Ike and Gustav and tell you what they learned about emergency preparations

Peel apart the distinctions of the 2009 EC standards

Upcoming EtO sterilizer rule takes effect in December

Organize disaster drills with a new, free government tool

For two hospitals, moving patients to new buildings offers a chance to fine-tune their evacuation plans

Patient suicides thrust prevention into a harsh spotlight

New clarifications, changed wording create challenges in 2009 life safety chapter

Ten ways to boost the value of your safety committee

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