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OSHA Healthcare Connection

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OSHA Healthcare Connection

Issue 51, December 28, 2010

• Study investigates how healthcare workers caught H1N1

  An investigation of confirmed cases of H1N1 among healthcare workers (HCW) during the 2009-2010...

• What OSHA has planned for you

  OSHA released its semiannual regulatory agenda in the December 20 Federal Register, and some of the...

• Editor’s Choice: Developing safety training materials

  In her “Sterile Matters feature,” OSHA Healthcare Advisor blogger Michele DeMeo...

• Q&A: Express lanes for N95 fit testing?

  Q: I find that yearly fit testing is very expensive, time consuming, and seems like overkill. If we...

• Weekly Poll: How was your workplace safety program this year?

  Looking back over 2010 last year, how would you assess the effectiveness of your workplace safety...

Issue 50, December 21, 2010

• Judge rules that worker must abide by mandatory flu shot policy

  Healthcare workers resisting mandatory flu shot policies by employers lost ground recently when a...

• California considers bill to increase hospital security

  California hospitals may be seeing an increase in safety and security measures after two healthcare...

• Editor’s Choice: Lifting hazards in ambulatory settings

  Ambulatory settings present just as many challenges as inpatient or long-term care settings, such...

• Q&A: Recordkeeping for labs

  Q: Is our physician-owned lab exempt from keeping the OSHA 300 log or just from posting it?

• Weekly Poll: Accept or reject mandatory flu shots

  With a judge finding in favor of a hospital requiring flu immunizations for all workers and against...

Issue 49, December 14, 2010

• Hopkins docs: Focus on assaults, not shootings

  At Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, two emergency physicians make the case that more emphasis...

• Needlesticks make 2011 top 10 hazard list

  The ECRI Institute ranks needlesticks as eighth on its list of Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for...

• Editor’s Choice: Fighting for the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act

  The December issue of Medical Environment Update features an interview with Karen Daley, PhD, MPH...

• Q&A: What about a note from my doctor to allow drinking beverages at work?

  Q: We are not allowed to drink beverages at the front desk to our dental practice because of...

• Weekly Poll: Progress on healthcare-associated infections

  With Healthy People 2020 promising a prevention and reduction of healthcare-associated infections...

Issue 48, November 30, 2010

• Dozens suspended after employees refuse flu shots

  The Abington Health System in Pennsylvania has suspended more than four dozen employees without pay...

• Unsafe injection practices are still occurring in healthcare settings

  Despite reports of patient infections and the CDC’s aggressive “One and Only&rdquo...

• Infection control lapses point to worker meningitis infections

  The CDC says that a lack of communication and inadequate infection control practices probably...

• Napa State Hospital security back in the spotlight

  A new question regarding security is arising in the October 23 alleged murder of a Napa State...

• Editor's Choice: Scrooge checklist and decorations policy

  As safety officer, do you need to don your Scrooge costume to ensure that the holiday decorations...

• Editor’s Choice: Does your lab coat pass the test?

  Terry Jo Gile, the Safety Lady, answers questions about lab coat water repellency and hydrostatic...

• Q&A: More on not removing safety needles

  Q: I understand from a previous Q&A not to remove contaminated needles, but that doesn’t...

• Q&A: Employers who think they are exempt from OSHA standards

  Q: The administrator at our not-for-profit long-term care facility says that it is not regulated by...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Automated external defibrillators

  The FDA is looking to improve the performance of automated external defibrillators (AED). Is AED...

• Weekly Poll: So you've witnessed an unsafe injection

  If you as a patient or staff member saw a healthcare professional following unsafe injection...

Issue 47, November 23, 2010

• Security guards complain; hospital gets dinged

  State OSHA officials cited a Seattle hospital for failing to provide security guards with the...

• Nursing home hepatitis B deaths point to contaminated devices

  Improperly cleaned and maintained blood glucose monitoring devices may be the cause of a hepatitis...

• What do Washington state hospitals know that other hospitals don’t?

  Ninety-four of Washington state’s 98 hospitals have adopted policies requiring workers to get...

• Editor’s Choice: Workers’ hazards in nursing homes and psychiatric units

  Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show that nursing homes and psychiatric units are the most...

• Q&A: Pardon my exclamation, but DON"T REMOVE DIRTY NEEDLES!

  Q: It has been standard procedure in our small medical practice to remove contaminated needles from...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Ditching dirty magazines for IC

  A hospital in Toronto banned magazines from the waiting room in order to prevent the spread of...

Issue 46, November 16, 2010

• ACGME opposes OSHA scrutiny on resident physician hours

  The organization which evaluates and accredits U.S. medical residency programs wants OSHA to keep...

• Physician organization joins the mandatory flu shot list

  The American College of Physicians updated its position on flu vaccinations for healthcare workers.

• Editor’s Choice: Let’s get the patient to pay for some of the needlestick cost

  Healthcare is a business, but charging the source patient for a needlestick cost is unconscionable.

• Q&A: Bloodborne pathogens fines in hospitals

  Q: Thanks for providing OSHA violation and fine data for medical and dental practices, but what do...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: OSHA and resident physicians’ hours

  Are the hours that resident physicians work a valid concern for OSHA? Take the OSHA Healthcare...

Issue 45, November 9, 2010

• The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act at the 10-year mark

  It’s been 10 years since President Clinton signed the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act...

• NY law makes violence against nurses a felony

  Handling difficult patients is expected by those going into the nursing profession, but most...

• Is a baseball bat part of your workplace violence prevention program?

  On a recent inspection, OSHA consultant Kathy Rooker, Columbus Healthcare & Safety Consultants...

• Editor's Choice: Wasting away in regulated medical waste land

  Many OSHA and safety officers in small healthcare facilities are saddled with regulated medical...

• Q&A: OSHA and privacy curtains

  Q: What’s the OSHA requirement for laundering privacy or cubicle curtains in an ambulatory...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Needlestick legislation

  You have now had 10 years of experience in complying with the Needlestick Safety and Prevention...

Issue 44, November 2, 2010

• Workplace violence issues continue to plague healthcare facilities

  Napa (CA) State Hospital workers are worried about the hospital’s security policies after a...

• AORN gets tough on surgical attire laundering

  After proposing recommendations and receiving stakeholder comments for the proper laundering of...

• Editor’s Choice: Bloodborne pathogen fines in hospitals

  Interested in the most frequent and expensive bloodborne pathogens OSHA citations for general...

• Q&A: Massage therapists and OSHA

  Q: Are workers in my practice with the job title, massage therapist, subject to the Bloodborne...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Patients and contaminated needlesticks

  The case of a toddler pricked by a contaminated needle from a hospital sharps container raises the...

Issue 43, October 26, 2010

• Nursing homes will attract OSHA inspections this year

  OSHA has placed nursing and personal care facilities on its list of high hazard workplaces for...

• CDC urges flu vaccine while doctors cooperate

  There’s so much talk about the flu these days, but it’s because flu season is on the...

• Editor's Choice: The safety officer's comfort blanket

  What is it about safety officers and checklists? Why do we love them so? Here’s a source for...

• Q&A: Dr. OSHA

  Q: When OSHA insists on the use of safety needles and scalpels, isn't it overstepping its authority...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: What if the bedbugs were biting in your facility?

  There have been more and more reports about bedbugs, even in healthcare.

Issue 42, October 19, 2010

• Drug- and alcohol-related ED visits increase the risk for violence in healthcare

  There is one indisputable fact regarding hospital security: ED workers and behavioral health...

• Supreme Court to examine vaccination company protection

  A lawsuit filed against pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme...

• Editor’s Choice: Safe handling of radioactive lab samples

  Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP), MA Ed. (aka The Safety Lady), presents a case study and lessons learned...

• Q&A: HBV vaccination and immunity

  Q: If a healthcare worker did not have titer drawn after the hepatitis B vaccination (HBV), how...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Protection for vaccine manufacturers?

  Should vaccine manufacturers be protected from lawsuits due to side-effect complaints? Take our...

Issue 41, October 12, 2010

• Cashier to hospital: No on flu shot; see you in court

  Taking exception to a mandatory flu shot policy, a hospital cafeteria cashier filed a lawsuit...

• Global Handwashing Day strives to raise awareness on October 15

  Washing our hands with soap and water has always been the most effective way to avoid infectious...

• Editor’s choice: Scoping out endoscope challenges

  Endoscopes are challenging to clean and disinfect. In fact, they are among the most difficult...

• Q&A: A lot of fit-testing questions

  Q: Where does someone get training for fit testing?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Mandatory flu shots causing uproar

  With all the contentiousness among healthcare workers concerning mandatory flu shots, here’s...

Issue 40, October 5, 2010

• CDC: Yes on face masks for worker flu protection

  The CDC issued revised recommendations changing the level of respiratory protection for healthcare...

• Care providers at serious risk

  The Baltimore Sun reports that according to a federal labor report, healthcare workers are four...

• Editor’s choice: Getting physicians trained on OSHA bloodborne pathogens

  Training physicians in your practice is not only a requirement; it can be a challenge, too.

• Q&A: Retaining old MSDSs

  Q: How long do you have to keep material safety data sheets (MSDS) for products no longer used in...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Change to face mask protection from flu

  What is your reaction to the change in the CDC influenza protection recommendation to use face...

Issue 39, September 28, 2010

• BLS analyzes safety data in healthcare

  The majority of all assaults on persons in the workplace (59%) occurred in healthcare settings in...

• 3M contest wants your IC video

  Got a video, three minutes or less, on innovative IC practices? 3M Corp. wants videos for its...

• Editor’s choice: Wiping out a surveyor’s MSDS Wite-Out mistake

  Steve MacArthur, safety consultant at The Greeley Company, writes about when Joint Commission...

• Q&A: OSHA inspections and small medical practices

  Q: I'm taking over OSHA compliance for our medical practice and the previous safety officer is...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Probable OSHA violations in my facility

  A report obtained by Medical Environment Update shows bloodborne pathogens and hazard communication...

Issue 38, September 21, 2010

• CDC urges healthcare workers to get flu shots

  A fact sheet by the CDC points out that healthcare workers play an important role in protecting...

• FDA picks on fingerstick devices

  The FDA is warning healthcare workers about the hazards of transmitting bloodborne pathogens...

• Editor’s choice: Doctor, please, say no more!

  “The physician said in a loud voice that he did not get additional reimbursement to cover the...

• Q&A: OSHA fines; follow the money

  Q: When OSHA cites a business, does the fine go to OSHA for operating expenses?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Exposed on the exposure control plan

  A report obtained by Medical Environment Update shows that exposure control plan issues are the...

Issue 37, September 14, 2010

• EPA wants your opinion on unused pharmaceutical disposal

  If you have longed for the opportunity to tell the government what you want it to do with your...

• OSHA report reveals fines for medical and dental practices

  The September issue of Medical Environment Update gets down to the nitty-gritty of frequent and...

• Healthcare safety officers: Give us your feedback!

  As a healthcare safety officer your feedback is an essential ingredient in making our safety books...

• Q&A: Who pays for the HBV titer?

  Q: Must the employer pay for the titer that comes after the hepatitis B vaccination?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: False assumptions about OSHA inspections

  A recent Ask the Expert post addressed the false assumption that small medical practices are exempt...

Issue 36, September 7, 2010

• OSHA concerned about resident physician working hours

  OSHA may come to the aid of overworked resident physicians.

• Endoscopes on top of health hazard list

  Flexible endoscopes have topped the list of the biggest health hazards, according to the ECRI...

• Editor’s Choice: Blood in the lab

  Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP), MA Ed. (aka The Safety Lady) presents a case study from The Complete Guide...

• Q&A: Why the mulligan for the hepatitis B vaccination?

  Q: What is the reason for having to re-administer the hepatitis B vaccination when a worker fails...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Is OSHA getting tougher on enforcement?

  An examination of the types of OSHA news releases posted by the Bush administration compared to...

Issue 35, August 31, 2010

• ANA recognizes those who also get shot?as in flu shots

  Recognizing the important part that nurses play in promoting immunizations, the American Nurses...

• Simple reminders can save your team from needlesticks

  We all know the basics, from no re-capping of needles to using puncture proof/sharps approved...

• Editor’s Choice: Universal gloving could be viable alternative for contact precautions

  A study published in the May Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found that a universal...

• Q&A: Where is the regulation for annual fit testing?

  Q: Where might I find the literature that indicates that the N95 mask must be fitted on every...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Flu shot role models

  How would you stack up as a role model for immunization safety in your healthcare facility? This...

Issue 34, August 24, 2010

• Seeing is achieving with hand sanitizers

  Out of sight means of mind when it comes to locating hand sanitizers.

• Latex, latex everywhere. Check the latest FDA warning.

  A recent FDA letter concerning latex-containing caps on GlaxoSmithKline Fluarix prefilled syringes...

• Editor’s Choice: Cola and chemicals don’t mix, especially in the lab

  You've probably heard it before: Food and drink do not belong in the lab. Read how a can of cola...

• Q&A: Fines for not using safety needles

  Q: Is the use of safety needles optional in a group medical practice, or must the employer require...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Hand sanitizer placement

  A recent study indicates that hand hygiene compliance rates are significantly better when...

Issue 33, August 17, 2010

• Virginia Mason Medical Center reports on five years of mandatory flu shots

  Five years ago Virginia Mason Medical Center became famous for being the first healthcare facility...

• Nurses concerned about emergency department violence

  An August 10 article published by the msnbc.com indicates that violence against nurses and other...

• Editor’s Choice: Keep your lungs happy when using chemicals

  Every day healthcare workers have the potential of becoming exposed to chemical vapors with harmful...

• Q&A: Defective sharps containers

  Q: Is there someplace to report a defective sharps disposal container?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Virginia Mason's flu shot policy

  Mandatory flu shots have become a popular and divisive topic in healthcare. Are you surprised that...

Issue 32, August 10, 2010

• AHA goes thumbs down on a new OSHA standard

  The American Hospital Association submitted a comment to OSHA recommending that the agency not...

• Fire safety training goes digital

  A medical center in South Carolina uses digital flames to instruct fire safety.

• Editor's Choice: A Q&A on best-practices for multidose vials

  There has been much more attention recently on multidose vials, particularly the expiration date of...

• Q&A: The Fewer-than-10 rule and OSHA exemptions

  Q: Our medical practice has fewer than 10 workers. Aren’t there some OSHA standards that we...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Needleless connectors

   Does your facility use positive displacement needleless connectors? This week’s poll...

Issue 31, August 3, 2010

• CDC posts 2010 flu shot guidelines from ACIP

  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices published flu-shot recommendations for the...

• Gloving is good, but why?

  You’ve “gotta” love the glove if you are at risk to needlestick exposures.

• Editor’s Choice: New resource for OSHA healthcare compliance

  A new book published by HCPro, OSHA Training Handbook for Healthcare Facilities, nicely complements...

• Q&A: X-rays for TB screening

  Q: How often do you need a chest x-ray if you test positive to TB? A staff physician believes he...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: A patch for flu vaccinations

  A post last week on the OSHA Healthcare Advisor informed of the possibility of using microneedles...

Issue 30, July 27, 2010

• IDSA to CDC: Make flu shots mandatory for healthcare workers

  The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) has called on the CDC to take a strong stand in...

• Editor’s Choice: "Doctor, what is that in your hand?"

  Read the OSHA Healthcare Advisor “Notes from the filed post” to find out why this...

• Second-class safeguards for U.S. healthcare workers

  It seems that in some places, the world has passed the U.S. by in protecting healthcare workers...

• Q&A: MSDS for office products

  Q: When reading the Wite-Out®, label it states that it is flammable. Doesn’t this mean I...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Workplace violence prevention standard

  The blog post, “Hospital slapped for with workplace violence citation,” drew lots of...

Issue 29, July 20, 2010

• The hazards of handling 'chemo' drugs

  That life-saving drugs for patients also pose life-threatening hazards for healthcare workers, was...

• Hospital cited for workplace violence prevention shortcomings

  OSHA has cited a hospital for failing to provide its employees with adequate safeguards against...

• Editor’s Choice: Needlestick prevention advocacy

  Many times needlestick stories don't have such positive endings.

• Q&A: Reusing biohazard specimen transport bags

  Q: Is it OK to reuse biohazard specimen bags if they are not contaminated?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Spiking IV bags

  How soon in advance to spike IV bags is a contentious topic among healthcare professionals.

Issue 28, July 13, 2010

• Improperly cleaned dental instruments result in potential HIV exposures

  A Missouri VA hospital is being scrutinized for potentially exposing 1,800 veterans to diseases...

• When more isn't always better with disinfection

  The saying "more isn’t always better" is true in the case of detergents and...

• Editor's Choice: Approaching perfection on worker flu shot acceptance rates

  In the last few years, Lakeview Medical Center in northwest Wisconsin and BJC Healthcare in St...

• Q&A: Safety needle use exceptions

  Q: What reasons are acceptable to OSHA for not using a safety needle?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Is this the year you implement mandatory flu shots?

  Pandemic anxiety has subsided considerably from last year making this flu season a good opportunity...

Issue 27, July 6, 2010

• AMA worried if your lab coat is safe, for you and patients

  At its annual meeting, the American Medical Association recently announced plans to conduct formal...

• Simple steps can avoid computer vision syndrome

  Computer vision syndrome results from spending a large amount of time working at a computer...

• Q&A: Is a hazardous substance list necessary?

  Q: Must a medical practice create a list of all hazardous substances used in the workplace? It...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll: Laboratory standards

  Lab safety officers have the difficult job of adhering to multiple standards from various agencies...

Issue 26, June 29, 2010

• Comment period opens for updated CDC influenza guidelines

  The CDC released a draft of the updated influenza guidelines for public comment.

• NIOSH posts Spanish-language guidance for safe lifting in nursing homes

  NIOSH recently posted the Spanish version of “Safe Lifting and Movement of Nursing Home...

• Editor's Choice: Engagement ring and sharps container

  Can you think of anything worse than dropping a personal item into the sharps container? It’s...

• Q&A: What does OSHA mean by annual training?

  Q: What does OSHA mean by annual training—every 12 months or within each calendar year?

• Weekly poll: Flu guidelines

   This week’s poll wants to know.  

Issue 25, June 22, 2010

• NIOSH advises on protection for first responders

  First responders are at a heightened risk of workplace exposures especially from bloodborne...

• Ambulatory surgery centers still drawing attention on infection control lapses

  A study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association has garnered...

• Editor?s Choice: Emergency eyewash station training tip

  Your coworkers pass by emergency eyewash stations dozens of times a day, but do they know how to...

• Q&A: Sterilizer logs in dental practices

  Q: In a dental office, does OSHA require us to keep logs of our autoclave operations?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll:WHO and H1N1 pandemic advice

  An article published by the British Medical Journal criticized the World Health Organization.

Issue 24, June 15, 2010

• Mandatory flu shots: How two healthcare systems found success

  Every year, medical facilities plead with employees to get their annual influenza vaccinations...

• Criminal charges handed down for Nevada hepatitis C outbreak

  In case regulatory agencies like your state health department or CMS don't keep you up at night...

• Editor's Choice: Check out the free tools library on OSHA Healthcare Advisor

  Visitors to OSHA Healthcare Advisor have access to the Tools page, an archive of a number of...

• Q&A: Beware of packages containing nonsafety needles

  Q: What are the OSHA rules/guidelines when someone other than the employer provides noncompliant...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  In light of the Joint Commission’s recently released sentinel event addressing assault, rape...

Issue 23, June 8, 2010

• Making the grade with mandatory flu shots

  The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) announced the addition of five new members to its Honor...

• More resources and fall-out from Las Vegas hepatitis outbreak

  The sad story of the February 2008 Las Vegas hepatitis C outbreak continues to prompt efforts to...

• Editor’s Choice: Infection prevention advice for ASCs

  A new tool has just been uploaded to the Tools page of OSHA Healthcare Advisor, one of particular...

• Q&A: Short answers to frequent questions

  Not interested in long-winded answers for frequent OSHA compliance questions covering student...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  The Joint Commission recently made modifications to their deemed status survey for ambulatory...

Issue 22, June 1, 2010

• Mandatory flu shots work for award-winning PA hospital

  The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) received the Healthcare Personnel Campaign...

• TB precautions for volunteers, students, and contract workers

  Assessing the need for and providing tuberculin skin tests (TST) in healthcare facilities is...

• Editor’s Choice: Navigating the sticky issues around mandatory flu shots

  Seasonal and H1N1 influenza have prompted many healthcare facilities to consider mandatory...

• Q&A: Keeping the lid on won?t placate OSHA

  Q: If I have a lid on the container, is it okay to drink beverages at the nurses&rsquo...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  If an OSHA inspector walked through your door right now, what is the likelihood he/she would find...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  If an OSHA inspector walked through your door right now, what is the likelihood he/she would find...

Issue 21, May 25, 2010

• OSHA tags Tufts for violations

  Recordkeeping slip-ups, including those involving needlestick injures, will cost Tufts Medical...

• Checking those "B shots"

  Compliance with hepatitis B vaccination provisions are some of the stickier issues with...

• Edito's Choice: Work restrictions for employees

  Creating or revising your work restriction policy? You might find the new, free download...

• Q&A: Why vegetable bins and vaccines don't mix

  Q: We are pressed for vaccine storage space in our refrigerator. Is it okay to store vaccine in the...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  OSHA is currently reassessing the Blood Pathogens standard as part of the Regulatory Flexibility...

Issue 20, May 18, 2010

• CDC examines healthcare worker exposure to amtomicrobial chemicals

  Acute antimicrobial pesticide exposure sounds like something to do with farm work, but it actually...

• Got a beef about bloodborne pathogens? Here’s a soapbox

  OSHA is conducting an assessment of the bloodborne pathogens standard, which has been in place...

• Editor’s Choice: How healthcare reform impacts safety

  If, as expected, healthcare reform will provide greater access to more people, there may be some...

• Q&A: Why a second shot for hepatitis B vaccination non-responders?

  Q: When a newly hired healthcare worker does not respond to the hepatitis B vaccination series, why...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  A post on the OSHA Healthcare Advisor last week used a Groucho Marx quote to describe how a VA...

Issue 19, May 11, 2010

• Time to speak up on OSHA's proposed infectious disease standard

  As reported last week, OSHA is considering an infectious disease standard, and it looks as if there...

• Propofol makers lose in hepatitis outbreak suit

  How’s this for a multi-million dollar legal hangover coming out of Las Vegas? A jury in a...

• Editor’s Choice: Mandatory flu shots

  The feature topic in the May issue of Medical Environment Update looks at flu shot policies and how...

• Q&A: Hazardous drug MSDS file

  Q: For my material safety data sheet (MSDS) files, I separate chemicals from the injectable...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Does a court’s decision to uphold per-instance PPE fines for egregious OSHA violators have...

Issue 18, May 4, 2010

• Is an infectious disease standard next on OSHA's list?

  Looks as if OSHA isn’t just focusing on aerosol transmissible disease for new regulations...

• OSHA issues Spanish-language enforcement directive

  OSHA has now issued the Spanish language enforcement directive concerning employee training that...

• Editor's Choice: Preventing surgical fires

  Surgical fires aren’t limited to the operating rooms and can also occur wherever invasive...

• Q&A: Booties and masks in the cafeteria

  Q: Would wearing surgical booties and masks in the cafeteria be an OSHA violation?  

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Would you be opposed to, or in favor of an OSHA infectious disease standard? This week’s poll...

Issue 17, April 27, 2010

• Court supports stiff fines for egregious OSHA violators

  A decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld OSHA’s...

• Hospital hit with $100K-plus Cal/OSHA violation

  In a major application of California’s aerosol transmissible disease standard, Cal/OSHA fined...

• Editor’s Choice: Workers Memorial Day

  Read more about Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 2010, a day to recognize the sacrifice of workers...

• Q&A: Lab coat for dental hygienist, who is responsible?

  Q: I understood that lab coats for dental hygienists were to be provided and laundered by the...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  OSHA says that employers must provide non-English safety training to those employees who receive...

Issue 16, April 20, 2010

• OSHA enforcement focuses on Spanish-language training

  Making sure that employers provide non-English OSHA training, when needed, will soon become an...

• Looking back on H1N1

  In an April 12 New York Times Op-Ed, Richard P. Wenzel, a professor of internal medicine and an...

• Editor’s Choice: Exit signs

  You wouldn’t believe how some practices place so little importance on exit sign compliance...

• Q&A: Flush time for exposure to eyes

  Q: Is there a recommended flush time when using the emergency eyewash station?  

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Exit sign compliance is as basic as you get in workplace safety matters, but how often do you check...

Issue 15, April 13, 2010

• Bucking the trend: Surgical sharps injuries increase

  Sharps safety in the operating room has not improved compared to other areas of healthcare...

• Editor’s Choice: Video online learning

  HCPro’s new OSHA Healthcare Online Training allows managers and staff to receive training at...

• Q&A: Posting exit route maps

  Q: Can you tell me what the OSHA regulations are for posting exit route maps, how many to post, and...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Last week, an OSHA Healthcare Advisor post listed hand hygiene, education, and medication labeling...

Issue 14, April 6, 2010

• It’s in there: Workplace safety and healthcare reform

  Seemingly lost in the polarizing rhetoric associated with the passage of healthcare reform was...

• CMS inspections prove infection control lapses in majority of surgery centers

  A recent report presented at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated...

• New Steris System 1 alternative gains FDA approval

  For healthcare facilities affected when the Steris System 1 (SS1) processor came under federal fire...

• Editor’s Choice: Quick training guide

  Occupational hazards in healthcare facilities bring a variety of OSHA standards into play. Many of...

• Q&A: OSHA potpourri - TB skin tests, psotexpsoure evaluation, and HBV titers

  Q: I was told at a recent OSHA seminar that dental offices must test employees yearly for TB, an...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  A London-based poll placed safety and health talk in dubious company with bad toilet manners, and...

Issue 13, March 30, 2010

• Keeping patient safety as the rationale for mandatory flu shots

  Reframing the mandatory flu shot controversy from a worker-rights issue to a patient safety concern...

• EPA regulation on EtO practices begins

  A new EPA regulation for healthcare facilities using ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization recently...

• Editor’s Choice: OSHA fines for physician practices

  What are the most expensive bloodborne pathogens-related OSHA fines in physician practices or the...

• Q&A: Chemicals and unlabeled containers

  Q: Where does OSHA say it is okay to transfer chemicals such as disinfectants into unlabeled...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  A new recommendation by AORN advising against laundering scrubs at home has generated a number of...

Issue 12, March 23, 2010

• OSHA head calls for stiffer fines

  OSHA fines need to be increased and pegged to inflation, says David Michaels, assistant secretary...

• AORN nixes home-laundering of scrubs

  Last week during its 57th annual meeting, the Association for periOperative Registered Nurses...

• Editor’s Choice: You have never had a tuberculin skin test?

  OSHA doesn’t have a standard specific for TB hazards but the CDC does, which can make the...

• Q&A: Computer or paper for your MSDS?

  Q: Is it okay to have material safety data sheet (MSDS) computer files instead of paper files?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  A new Indiana law passed last week allowing guns in company parking lots will have many workplaces...

Issue 11, March 16, 2010

• Can hand hygiene cost you your job... maybe so?

  There are frequent reports about techniques for improving hand-hygiene compliance, but one reported...

• Liver disease journal focuses on healthcare-associated transmission of hepatitis

  For those immersed in healthcare facility workplace safety, the February issue of Clinics in Liver...

• Editor’s Choice: Have you switched to safety devices?

  In 2001 OSHA added the Needlestick Prevention Act into its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Nearly a...

• Q&A: Source patient testing

  Q: Just where does it say that we must test the source patient’s blood after an employee has...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Last month a Colorado healthcare worker was sentenced to 30 years in prison for secretly stealing...

Issue 10, March 9, 2010

• Patient threatens, doctor slain, but no finding for unsafe work conditions

  The fatal shooting of a physician by a patient in Kentucky medical clinic has police, workplace...

• Centrifuge defect prompts Class I recall

  The FDA has issued a warning that a specific model of StatSpin centrifuges has an alleged defect...

• Editor’s Choice: Infection prevention guidance to meet CMS regulations

  In the last year the infection prevention landscape has changed considerably for ambulatory surgery...

• Q&A: Using isopropyl alcohol in the lab

  Q: Must we always use an exhaust hood when working with isopropyl alcohol in the lab?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  It seems that reprocessing single-use medical devices has just as many advocates as detractors. Do...

Issue 9, March 2, 2010

• Hospital tech sentenced for stealing fentanyl and transmitting hepatitis C

  Kristen Diane Parker, a surgical tech who worked at Rose Medical Center, Denver, was sentenced to...

• Study finds healthcare workers resisting treatment for TB

  Half of healthcare workers diagnosed with latent TB failed to seek treatment for it, according to a...

• Editor's Choice: Medical Environment Update - Evaluating decontamination procedures prior to sterilization

  What's so important about precleaning medical instruments before sterilizing? How should your staff...

• Q&A: OSHA and mandatory flu shots

  Q: Does OSHA require that employees accept a flu shot for H1N1?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Many healthcare facilities, particularly family and pediatric practices, have toys in the waiting...

Issue 8, February 23, 2010

• Washington OSHA imposes N95 respirator fines

  All the advisories and enforcement documents about protecting workers during the H1N1 pandemic...

• CDC offers primary care provider pandemic template

  New guidance published by the CDC specifically focuses on pandemic influenza planning and response...

• Editor's Choice: Regulated medical waste compliance

  A report last week about a trash disposal worker accidentally swallowing medical and chemotherapy...

• Q&A: Needlestick first aid

  Q: Should we train workers who have just received a needlestick to first squeeze the blood from the...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Last week's post on new plasma technology that could change the way healthcare workers clean their...

Issue 7, February 16, 2010

• Draw the line on bad blood-drawing practices

  Phlebotomy procedures present high risks for needlestick injuries and exposures to serious and...

• Drug manufacturer pressured on hepatitis C outbreak

  The company that made the propofol used at a Las Vegas clinic may be implicated in the hepatitis C...

• Editor’s Choice: Managing healthcare workers with bloodborne diseases

  OSHA focuses on patient–to–healthcare worker transmission of bloodborne infections, but...

• Editor's Choice: OSHA's proposed infectious diseases standard

  The feature topic in the July issue of Medical Environment Update looks at the possibility of an...

• Q&A: Drinking on the job, sort of

  Q: The policy for our healthcare facility states that drinks at desks are not allowed anywhere. My...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  With many areas of the country experiencing winter weather that’s usually found in the...

Issue 6, February 9, 2010

• Rethinking assumptions on safety in healthcare professions

  When stakeholders offer a piece of their collective minds during the “OSHA Listens&rdquo...

• CDC: Wear surgical masks during spinal procedures

  Investigations of bacterial meningitis cases has prompted the CDC to remind healthcare workers to...

• Editor's Choice: Join our roundtable group and be eligible for a free book

  Long-time readers of OSHA Healthcare Connection and OSHA Healthcare Advisor know that we put a lot...

• Q&A: Most common OSHA fines for physician practices

  Q: Where can I find information about the most recent fines and citations given to physician...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  With February being American Heart Month, it’s important to remember that automated external...

Issue 5, February 2, 2010

• Hospital fired up about smoking employees

  Starting yesterday, Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, TN, stopped considering job applicants who...

• OSHA to add MSD check off to recordkeeping form

  For businesses required to keep the OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, OSHA...

• Q&A: Rapid HIV tests for needlestick exposures

  Q: Must we use rapid HIV tests as a follow up to a needlestick exposure?

• Editor’s Choice: OSHA Q&As for downloading

  Do you find the Q&A like the one above helpful to your OSHA compliance program? If so...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  Are healthcare employers infringing too much on workers’ personal choice and lifestyle...

Issue 4, January 26, 2010

• Save time and unnecessary work with OSHA recordkeeping exemptions

  You wouldn’t know by all the warnings from safety experts this past month, but the OSHA rule...

• Drive-through checkups could work during a pandemic

  Looks like you can add exams to the list of goods and services, like lattes and fast food, which...

• Editor’s Choice: Download top five essential compliance tools

  OSHA Healthcare Advisor has compiled a list of the top five most downloaded compliance tools...

• Q&A: OSHA standards for medical and dental practices

  Q: What OSHA standards are important for compliance in medical and dental practices?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  In the past year have your hand hygiene compliance rates increased, decreased, or remained the...

Issue 3, January 18, 2010

• Money for hand hygiene compliance

  The sound of hand washing may not be music but money to your ears.

• Money for hand hygiene compliance

  The sound of hand washing may not be music but money to your ears.

• No flu shot, no mask; two strikes and you’re out

  The firing of a nurse for refusing an H1N1 vaccination and not complying with her employer’s...

• Editor’s Choice: MRSA and lawyers

  Similar to statistics, studies can be designed to prove anything. But if you like zinging it to the...

• Q&A: Mercury devices

  Q: Is it illegal to have mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices in medical practices?

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  In your facility, do you schedule all annual retraining for staff at the beginning of the calendar...

Issue 2, January 12, 2010

• OSHA videos address respirator safety

  On January 8, OSHA posted two videos that address key safety concerns for healthcare workers using...

• Protecting cancer patients from H1N1 with a strict IC program

  When H1N1 first appeared in the spring of 2009, The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in...

• Editor’s Choice: Fit-testing record card

  OSHA and the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare have developed and...

• Q&A: Bites and exposures

  Q: Are bites considered employee exposure incidents and covered under OSHA standards? A: Yes...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  January 10-16 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. Are you planning special educational...

Issue 1, January 5, 2010

• CDC report closes the book on Las Vegas hepatitis C outbreak

  The CDC and the Nevada State Health Division Bureau of Licensure released a detailed report on the...

• Create your own hand hygiene video for AORN

  If you enjoy the creativity of producing your own training videos, or if you’ve created an...

• Editor’s Choice: OSHA Healthcare Advisor Blog’s top 10 posts of 2009

  OSHA Healthcare Advisor Blog takes a look back at the 10 blog posts that garnered the most views...

• Q&A: Cleaning instruments between patients

  Q: What is the optimal method for instrument cleaning between patients in our outpatient facility...

• OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll

  There’s no doubt some standards require more work for safety officers than others. Based on...