OSHA fines Boston-area hospital for hazard violations
Hospital Safety Insider, August 21, 2014
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
OSHA has penalized a hospital in the Boston area $28,000 for several violations of the agency’s bloodborne pathogens standard, according to a report from WBZ-TV.
The fines stem from complaints received about the conditions at Wakefield-Melrose Hospital, which triggered an OSHA inspection of the facility. According to documents quoted in the report, OSHA inspectors found several violations, including potential sharps injuries “when contaminated disposable blades are included with reusable surgical instruments to be cleaned and sterilized.”
In addition, the documents reported that “surgical employees did not always disassemble and wipe down used surgical instruments, and also that “surgical employees placed open or loosely covered basins containing hazardous medical waste (excess blood, tissue, bone, feces, fat, etc.) and contaminated instruments into utility carts that leaked these contaminated fluids …”
According to the report, hospital officials have said that the issues are being addressed and steps are being taken to avoid future violations.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
Related Products
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Created exclusively for healthcare facility managers, plant operations professionals, and directors of engineering, this...
-
Hospital Safety Insider
Stay on top of hospital safety requirements and best practices with our free, fast-paced weekly update.
-
Basic OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your outpatient...
-
Basic Dental OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your dental...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Don't forget the three checks in medication administration
- Steps for maintaining patient privacy
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- Know guidelines and subtle differences in code descriptions for laceration repairs
- Prevent dehydration with nursing interventions
- Nursing responsibilities for managing pain
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Q&A: Primary, principal, and secondary diagnoses
- Neurological checks for head injuries
- CMS seeks comment on quality measures
- E-mailed
-
- Searched