Free Safety e-Newsletters

Emergency Management Alert Hospital Safety Connection Infection Control Weekly Monitor OSHA Healthcare Connection

OSHA Healthcare Connection

Manage standards and guidelines from OSHA, NIOSH, CDC, and other government agencies with this FREE weekly E-mail newsletter!

Subscribe »

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

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?