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Issue 9, September 5, 2021

• Designed for safety: Safety showers and floods

  Whenever Jacob, a histology lab employee, poured waste chemicals into the large barrel in the...

Issue 8, August 2, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• A code to call for your lab co-worker

  A lab employee felt faint in the middle of her shift and quickly sat down on a lab stool. She...

• PTSD: There is help for patients and providers

  In the wake of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw horrors such as corpses being stored in...

• A year of COVID-19 data: Lessons learned

  If a year of COVID-19 could be said to have any positives, one is the immense amount of data the...

• Reasons for prescription non-adherence are complicated

  Taking medicine as prescribed is crucial for maintaining health, particularly for patients with...

• Disease-ridden bloodsuckers

  Scientists are warning that warmer, wetter weather this year will increase the number of ticks born...

• 21H update: August updates cover bloodborne pathogens

  The latest updates to the medical and dental manuals cover information on bloodborne pathogens...

Issue 7, July 6, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Eyewash station inspections not needed for storage areas

  These clarifications are important because some laboratories and clinics have been mistakenly...

• More OSHA scrutiny on healthcare organizations, expanded whistleblower protections

  In March, OSHA issued its Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019...

• Be aware of medication-related sunburn

  One hazard to talk to patients about this summer is medication-related sunburn. There is a long...

• Four motivators every lab safety professional should know

  If you search for top motivational movie speeches, you will see things that might work in real...

• Smart summer laboratory safety strategies

  Safety in the laboratory is not always strictly about bloodborne pathogens, chemical hygiene, and...

Issue 6, June 1, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Three unwritten safety rules every healthcare employee should follow

  In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, laboratory safety officer for multihospital...

• Case study: The first early psychosis intervention clinic in New Orleans

  Back in 2015, New Orleans’ first-ever clinic specializing in psychosis treatment and care...

• HazCom: What EHS Managers Need to Know

  The hazard communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)—sometimes referred to as the HazCom...

• Q&A: Creating the first early psychosis intervention clinic in New Orleans

  Back in 2015, Ashley Weiss, DO, MPH, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Tulane...

Issue 5, May 3, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• From Ant-Men to Giant-Men

  One of the most important ways to grow in safety and to make a difference is to lead by example.

• Q&A: Designing LGBTQIA+ friendly healthcare

  For a long time, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations have not met the needs of...

• Don't blame the pandemic: Healthcare burnout predates it

  After the pandemic ends, healthcare leaders may feel tempted to take the easy route and blame all...

• Healthcare organizations still catching up to LGBTQIA+ care

  Sexual and gender minority people are not a modern phenomenon, but it’s only been in the last...

• Healthcare organizations still catching up to LGBTQIA+ care

  Sexual and gender minority people are not a modern phenomenon, but it’s only been in the last...

• 21E Update: May updates cover decontamination, chemical and radiation safety

  The latest updates cover information on decontamination in the medical manual and hazardous...

Issue 4, April 5, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OSHA proposes updates to HazCom, comment period ends April 19

  On February 16, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed rules to modify...

• Pandemic Fatigue: Feels Like Starting Over

  In discussions with laboratory safety professionals across the country this year, the same safety...

• Physician burnout reaches new heights during COVID-19 pandemic

  If there is one lesson to be taken from 2020, it’s that waiting until a problem evolves into...

• The fight against anxiety, depression, and mental illness during COVID-19

  Mental health has deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients no longer have access to...

Issue 3, March 1, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• From floor to patient: Pathogens on the ground don't stay there

  According to a small study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, it only...

• The Power of the Pause

  The majority of laboratory injuries and exposures are preventable, and most of them occur because...

• Train staff on dangers of dry ice, other precautions handling vaccines

  Dry ice can cause severe injury and even death if not handled correctly, warned Ramya Krishnan...

• Consider telehealth options for deaf patients, with follow up plan

  Providers are required to help patients with hearing issues understand their treatment, and...

• Emphasize self-care and offer help to staff facing COVID trauma

  As COVID-19 and the rest of this year’s chaos continues to take its toll on your hospital...

Issue 2, February 1, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Study: Patient photos in electronic records reduce medical errors

  Researchers found that the risk of wrong-patient order events (WPOE) decreased by about 30% when...

• A new year in lab safety: What will the new year bring? Can it be worse than last year?

  As we prepare to say goodbye and good riddance to the year 2020, we hesitatingly welcome 2021...

• COVID ambassadors help thousands of patients talk with their families during isolation

  Staff who otherwise would have been furloughed were instead trained on COVID-19 safety and virtual...

• Consider these tips when planning for civil unrest

  Here are some tips, taken from accounts after the Baltimore protests over the death of Freddie...

Issue 1, January 4, 2021 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Mental health and COVID-19: Study finds bilateral impact

  COVID-19 patients are at risk for a diagnosable mental health impact from the disease.

• Becoming a "COVID captain"

  The work of the healthcare safety professional is not over. Although staff may be tired of...

• Q&A: Earthquake guidance from an OSHA expert

  We asked Marge McFarlane, PhD, MT(ASCP), CHSP, CHFM, CJCP, HEM, MEP, CHEP, principal of Superior...

• Saving money and water in healthcare

  With more droughts and heat waves expected in upcoming years, it’s time for hospitals and...

• Medical Environment Update's 2020 index

  For MEU, we’ve just made an index of our 2020 articles to help you find the stories you need...