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OSHA Healthcare Connection

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OSHA Healthcare Connection

Issue 22, May 29, 2012

• OSHA hits four Veterans Administration clinics with safety notices

  OSHA issued 30 notices of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions to four U.S. Department of...

• CDC posts healthcare setting hepatitis outbreak reports

  As part of Hepatitis Awareness Month and the first National Hepatitis Testing Day in the U.S. on...

• Editor’s choice: Chemotherapy drugs and sterilizing agents put nurses at risk

  It’s no surprise that highly toxic chemicals, found in chemotherapy drugs and sterilizing...

• Ask the expert: Using safety needles in an orthopedic practice

  Q: Our orthopedic practice only gives steroid injections. Are we required to use safety needles?

• Weekly poll: Random safety inspections, improved safety or burdensome expense

  With regard to healthcare do you believe that random safety inspections, such as from OSHA, do...

Issue 21, May 22, 2012

• OSHA to establish Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee

  OSHA announced its intent to establish a Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee that will...

• Study: Work experience related to increased use of PPE for flu

  Proper use of PPE for protection against H1N1 comes with healthcare worker experience, but not as...

• Editor's choice: Healthcare workplace violence compared to other occupations

  Healthcare workers were victims of workplace violence at more than twice the rate of the general...

• Ask the expert: When to test after Hepatitis B vaccination

  Q: After employees have the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, when should they be tested for...

• Weekly poll: Hepatitis B protection for healthcare workers

  Of the workers in your healthcare facility with reasonably anticipated risk for exposures to blood...

Issue 20, May 15, 2012

• Intimate partner violence in workplace homicides touches healthcare

  Intimate partner violence resulted in nearly a quarter of the homicides among women at work in the...

• OSHA and Laser Institute of America renew alliance

  OSHA and the Laser Institute of America have renewed their alliance aimed at reducing and...

• Policies for preventing domestic violence in federal workplaces

  President Obama issued a memorandum specifically requiring federal workplaces to protect workers...

• Your nursing history IQ can win you a free webcast on preventing CAUTIs!

  There is still time to get in on HCPro's Nurses Week celebration free webcast contest through a fun...

• Ask the expert: Training record retention

  Q: I have been looking on the OSHA website for guidance on how long we should retain employee...

• Weekly poll: Domestic violence in the workplace

  Does your workplace violence prevention program specifically address the threats and effects of...

Issue 19, May 8, 2012

• Assaults at hospital draw OSHA workplace violence fine

  Lakeview Specialty Hospital, Waterford, WI, made the headlines when it received a $12,000 OSHA fine...

• Celebrating Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day, May 9

  May 9 is Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day, which includes recognizing the...

• Ask the expert: Online exposure control plan

  Q: Is it okay to have the Bloodborne Pathogens exposure control plan online, for example on the...

• Weekly poll: Nurses and workplace safety

  Compared to other working groups or occupations in your healthcare facility or organization, how...

Issue 18, May 1, 2012

• Why OSHA standards take so long to develop

  A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on why OSHA standards take, on average, more...

• U.S. workers not catching enough ZZZZs

  An especially high prevalence of short sleep duration was reported by night shift workers in the...

• Ask the expert: Doctors and annual bloodborne pathogens training

  Q: Are doctors in a medical practice exempt from OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard yearly updates...

• Weekly poll: Can OSHA pick up the pace?

  Do you predict that changes will be made to allow OSHA standards to be developed more quickly than...

Issue 17, April 24, 2012

• Study: Forgetfulness, discomfort blamed for respiratory hygiene noncompliance

  Even though nearly all emergency department triage nurses at two university hospitals knew that...

• Editor’s choice: The bathroom is your lab!

  “I couldn't control my shock and asked her if she was kidding me! She was serious. We both...

• Ask the expert: Rented space and OSHA responsibility

  Q: My practice rents space to another practice with employees. They use none of our supplies and...

• Weekly poll: Color-coded scrubs for nurses

  Should nurses be required to wear prescribed color scrubs or uniforms?

Issue 16, April 17, 2012

• Study checks dental students on bloodborne exposures

  Fewer than half of dental school students showed “adequate knowledge of transmission and...

• Webinar focuses on protecting clinicians from hazardous drug exposures

  In recognition of Safe Handling Awareness Day, April 20, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) is...

• Ask the expert: Use of power strips

  Q: Our safety checklist states that we should not use multiple extension cords to power electrical...

• Weekly poll: Personally speaking up on hand hygiene

  As a patient, how likely are you to remind a physician to perform hand hygiene before attending to...

Issue 15, April 10, 2012

• Nursing homes draw OSHA emphasis program

  With workers in nursing and residential care facilities experiencing injuries “2.3 times...

• Vital stats: Healthcare as a dangerous job

  The OSHA Healthcare Advisor asked readers whether they considered their healthcare jobs dangerous...

• Ask the expert: Lunch-time training

  Q: Our supervisor wants to conduct annual bloodborne pathogens training during a brown bag lunch...

• Weekly poll: Surviving an OSHA inspection, right now

  Regardless of your facility type, how confident are you that your healthcare facility would be...

Issue 14, April 3, 2012

• Needlestick prevention group takes to the road

  Safe in Common, a non-profit organization established to raise awareness about needlestrick hazards...

• Study finds only low levels of MRSA ambulances

  Ambulances are relative free of contaminated surfaces that could cause staph infections to patients...

• Ask the expert: Who is qualified to instruct in bloodborne pathogens training?

  Q: What qualifications or certifications does OSHA require for conducting annual training for...

• Weekly poll: Safety compliance and regulatory sources

  From what sources do you regularly obtain information about healthcare staff and facility safety?

Issue 13, March 27, 2012

• OSHA announces amended Hazard Communication standard

  OSHA's changes to the Hazard Communication standard will improve safety by making it easier for...

• Safety officer tip: Play it safe with the general duty clause

  Sometimes there will be a danger in the workplace that OSHA hasn’t drafted a particular...

• Ask the expert: Chest x-ray frequency with positive TB test

  Q: How often should a staff member in a doctor's office with a positive tuberculin skin test be...

• Weekly poll: Training time for HazCom 2012

  Does OSHA's December 2013 deadline give employers enough time to train workers for the GHS-related...

Issue 12, March 20, 2012

• Study: Blood exposures risky with IV catheters

  For nurses, working with IV catheters poses a significant risk for blood exposures, yet most...

• Psychiatric hospitals fined

  Two California state psychiatric hospitals were fined by Cal-OSHA for failing to protect workers...

• Ask the expert: Blood exposure and eyewash station checks

  Q: We have no corrosive chemicals in our work area that would require an emergency eyewash station...

• Weekly poll: Staff safety training and education

  What percentage of your job do you spend on staff safety training and education?

Issue 11, March 13, 2012

• Call to Action issued for protection from bloodborne disease exposures

  The International Healthcare Worker Safety Center and the American Nurses Association have been...

• HazCom GHS clears OMB review

  Adoption of the Globally Harmonized System for classifying and labeling chemicals into the Hazard...

• Ask the expert: Carpeting in lab blood draw rooms

  Q: Are there any OSHA rules against carpeting in lab blood draw rooms?

• Weekly poll: OSHA enforcement in non-hospital settings

  Are you in favor of more bloodborne exposure and needlestick enforcement efforts by OSHA in...

Issue 10, March 6, 2012

• Checking podiatry clinics for bioaerosol exposures

  Yes, there are occupational hazards for caregivers working on feet.

• Sidestepping healthcare worker flu shot mandates

  Should vaccinations against influenza be mandatory for healthcare workers?

• Ask the expert: Storing specimens with medications

  Q: We are aware that specimens cannot be stored with food, but is it okay to store blood, urine...

• Weekly poll: Preferred safety training methods

  For your healthcare facility or department, what is your preferred method for staff safety training?

Issue 9, February 28, 2012

• Doctor, don’t dump thyself!

  A doctor in Bonita Springs, FL, disposed of medical waste … the problem is it wasn’t...

• Safety officer tip: Play it safe with the general duty clause

  Sometimes there will be a danger in the workplace that OSHA hasn’t drafted a particular...

• Ask the expert: OSHA bloodborne pathogens fines for hospitals

  Q: In a hospital what is the most frequent OSHA bloodborne pathogens citation and fine?

• Weekly poll: Healthcare as a dangerous job

  Do you consider healthcare jobs as dangerous?

Issue 8, February 21, 2012

• Needlesticks law accounts for drop in injuries

  Law and order has led to a decrease in needlestick injuries among hospital workers, according to...

• Flu shot sticks during pandemic clinics

  Healthcare workers giving lots flu shots in clinics during a pandemic are at higher risk of...

• Ask the expert: Most common OSHA fine for medical practices

  Q: In a medical practice what is the most frequent OSHA citation and fine?

• Weekly poll: Progress from Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act

  With the report of a 38% decrease in needlesticks, has the passage and enforcement of the...

Issue 7, February 14, 2012

• Federal recommendations inch toward mandatory flu shots

  A federal panel of vaccine advisors has presented to the Department of Health and Human Services...

• IAC updates flu shot honor roll

  The Immunization Action Coalition has added 28 organizations to its Honor Roll for Patient Safety...

• Ask the expert: Mandatory flu shots, mask-wearing policies, and HIPAA

  Q: Our healthcare facility is requiring employees to get the flu shot or they will have to wear a...

• Weekly poll: Needlestick safety devices

  How confident are you that your healthcare facility has considered and provided you with the best...

Issue 6, February 7, 2012

• OSHA adds free online respiratory protection videos

  OSHA announced its new respiratory protection video web page, January 31.

• Safety officer tip: Enjoy recordkeeping exemptions, while you have them

  While hospitals and long-term care facilities are busy this month posting workplace injuries to...

• Editor’s choice: You are disinfecting that scope with what?

  Some healthcare facilities have strange ideas about what constitutes appropriate decontamination.

• Ask the expert: Source patient testing after needlestick injury

  Q: When must we obtain testing consent from the source individual after an employee needlestick...

• Weekly poll: Safety on Super Bowl Monday

  Does Super Bowl Monday affect safety in your healthcare facility or unit?

Issue 5, January 31, 2012

• GHS review delayed

  The much-anticipated chemical labeling change to the Hazard Communication Standard will take a bit...

• AORN nixes multidose vials among other medication recommendations

  The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses hopes two new recommendations will prompt...

• Colorado considers mandatory flu shots

  The Colorado State Board of Health will vote next month on whether to mandate flu shots for...

• Ask the expert: ASC, MSDS, and hazardous drugs

  Q: Is an ambulatory surgery center required to keep an MSDS file for the medications that are used...

• Weekly poll: Yes or no on mulitdose vials

  Do you agree with the AORN recommended practice to discontinue the use of multidose medication...

Issue 4, January 24, 2012

• Study: Workplace exposures put nurses at risk for lost pregnancies

  A study appearing in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology raises concerns about common...

• Editor’s choice: Infection prevention plan for outpatient oncology settings

  A new “plug and play” infection control plan that allows oncology clinics to get up to...

• Ask the expert: Top 10 questions for 2011

  Want to know about compliance on bloodborne pathogens training, TB skin testing, emergency eyewash...

• Weekly poll: Workplace safety and performance evaluations

  How important is workplace safety in the written performance evaluations for employees in your...

Issue 3, January 17, 2012

• ANA survey: Workplace safer for nurses

  A survey by the American Nurses Association shows that overall workplace safety has improved...

• Viewing the film Puncture

  The needlestick injury film Puncture is availalabe through DVD rental/purchase or online streaming.

• Editor’s choice: Responsibility for performing the weekly checks of eyewash stations

  Check out “In your eyes – the light, the heat … the chemicals?” by Steve...

• Ask the expert: Gloves for injections

  Q: In researching OSHA guidelines, I found that wearing gloves during an injection is not required...

• Weekly poll: Workplace safety now and then

  Overall, is your healthcare facility a safer place to work than it was 10 year ago?

Issue 2, January 10, 2012

• CDC proposes safer work practices in medical labs

  Experts convened by the CDC have produced guidelines that reinforce a common-sense approach to...

• International study examines infection prevention practices in dental settings

  A study assessing infection prevention practices of dentists in eight countries shows a wide...

• Ask the expert: OSHA safety sharps compliance on pre-filled syringes

  Q: May we use the non-safety needles that come with pre-filled vaccine syringes provided by the...

• Weekly poll: The Feds and healthcare worker mandatory flu shots

  If approved, do think the CDC’s Recommendations on Strategies to Achieve the Healthy People...

Issue 1, January 3, 2012

• OSHA improves the "It’s the Law" poster page

  OSHA has improved the Web page where employers go for information about the posting requirements...

• Elevators are safe, but caution is still required

  It's a question we probably take for granted, but are you exercising safe practices when using an...

• Ask the expert: Who does OSHA fine for not using safety needles, the worker or employer?

  Q: If an employee refuses to use available safety devices, such as safety needles and sharps, who...

• Weekly poll: Prediction on bloodborne pathogens exposures

  How well will your facility do in preventing occupational bloodborne pathogens exposures in 2012?