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Issue 12, December 7, 2019

• Chemical and radiological hazards

  Healthcare workers face several kinds of workplace hazards every day, but no other danger has the...

Issue 11, November 4, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Cold weather is here; get your clinic in gear

  The cold weather can engender many dangers that can injure your patients, your employees, and the...

• The PPE compliance conundrum

  In a recent laboratory poll about personal protective equipment (PPE), 85% of respondents said...

• The workers to be thankful for...

  … and those to be worried about

Issue 10, October 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The germs that should scare your clinic staff

  New superbugs are emerging that the CDC and other agencies say can’t be stopped. Here’s...

• Fighting stress and burnout in your clinic

  Some of the biggest hazards facing medical staff (and the patients they treat) are lack of rest...

• The lab and the Pharmaceutical Rule: Do they go together?

  Many laboratorians may not have noticed, but in February of this year, the EPA published the...

Issue 9, September 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Back to school: Teach employees safety rules by following the rules of the classroom

  At the beginning of each school year, teachers spend a month or more getting students into the...

• National falls prevention awareness day

  In honor of National Falls Prevention Day on September 22, we’ve made a list of several...

• The OSHA standards you didn't know you needed to follow

  There are many standards that OSHA requires you to adhere to, and it’s not always easy to...

• Flying the Lab

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

Issue 8, August 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Get ready for the next flu season

  Infection control experts warn that it’s only a matter of time before another pandemic like...

• When your clinic staff are bored

  If you’re lucky, traffic at your clinic has slowed down a bit and your staff are getting a...

• The physical fix

  The microbiology laboratory was newly remodeled, and the staff was excited to have windows in the...

• 19H Update: August update covers specialty services

  The latest manual update covers information on specialty services in Tab 9 of the medical manual.

Issue 7, July 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Training tips: Protecting against bloodborne pathogens

  Bloodborne pathogens remain a constant threat to healthcare workers. It only takes a tiny bit of...

• Opioids: CDC clarifies prescribing guidelines

  In a letter released April 10, the CDC clarified its Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic...

• "Clinic in a box" brings healthcare in a hurry

  Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) have created a mobile healthcare clinic that may...

Issue 6, June 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Worker wellness: Summer 101 in the clinic

  As summertime arrives in the U.S., there’s a good chance you’re not thinking about the...

• Illinois passes workplace violence law

  In a sweeping act of legislation that may affect the future of healthcare safety, late last year...

• The cost of living dangerously

  Alicia was working the night shift, and she tripped on the edge of a floor mat while holding a rack...

• Sentinel event statistics for 2018

  “Organizations should continue their work toward minimizing risks associated with these types...

• PSMF takes aim at postoperative delirium in elders

  As it works toward its goal of eliminating preventable in-hospital deaths, the Patient Safety...

Issue 5, May 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OSHA rule will help protect sensitive employee information

  Just when you thought you were getting the hang of OSHA’s complicated injury and illness...

• Food and drink in the clinic: Where can staff have lunch?

  Apparently, there have been lots of questions from the field about spaces where clinicians and...

• Review your medical evaluation of staffers who will wear respirators

  OSHA is reminding employers that a medical evaluation of each employee is required if that worker...

• The safety reaction

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

• 19E Updates: May updates cover ergonomics

  The latest manual updates cover information on ergonomics in Tab 4 of both the medical and dental...

Issue 4, April 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OSHA data shows decrease in healthcare worker injuries

  It turns out that 2017 was a slightly safer year to be a worker in the healthcare industry. That...

• How to create a culture of safety in your clinic

  Many experts say that the key to safety in any healthcare workplace is to develop a culture of...

• Check your states for deadlines on the new hazardous waste pharmaceuticals rule

  Let your pharmacists and anyone else in your organization who handle hazardous waste...

• Accidents happen: Now what?

  Editor’s note: In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, laboratory safety officer...

Issue 3, March 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Training tips: Safe sharps and needlestick prevention

  Despite years of warnings of bloodborne infections and diseases, as well as improved safety...

• Tune up your clinic security and safety for spring

  Unless you take a good inventory of the safety issues around your facility, the medical clinic or...

• Look to "Blueprint" to understand new EPA requirements on hazardous drug waste

  Consider managing all your pharmaceuticals as hazardous waste, especially if you are a smaller...

• An emergency plan for your life

  I recently read a written laboratory emergency management plan, and at the end of the document...

Issue 2, February 1, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Ergonomics 101: A primer in safe clinic practices

  As the new year gets underway and winter weather throughout the country starts to take hold...

• EPA announces final rule to set new standards on hazardous waste pharmaceuticals

  However, get the word out to everyone in your organization who handles hazardous waste...

• Get the alcohol out: Your stethoscopes are dirtier than you think they are

  Stethoscopes are maybe the most common of all diagnostic tools used in a medical facility, among...

• Doing what we've always done

  The reference cytology lab has always had limited storage space for supplies and specimens. It uses...

Issue 1, January 2, 2019 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Focus on these four areas of improvement to avoid common safety errors

  In the healthcare safety world, much attention is paid to the need for hospitals to ramp up their...

• A month-by-month training guide for 2019

  It’s the New Year, and like us all, you probably want to start fresh and improve your staff...

• Planning a freestanding ER? ASHE suggests focusing on life safety issues

  As health systems constantly seek ways to increase revenues while keeping costs down and dealing...

• Wasteful questions

  Understanding the proper separation and disposal of the various waste types generated in the lab...

• MEU 2018 index

  MEU 2018 index

Issue 3, March 1, 2019

• Tune up your clinic security and safety for spring

  Unless you take a good inventory of the safety issues around your facility, the medical clinic or...