Archive for: November, 2008
When safety battles fashion over bloodborne pathogens
No matter what the season, questions about casual footwear—mostly sandals, clogs, and Crocs—and compliance with OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard always seem to crop up.
Maybe it’s global warming that is the cause for all those exposed toes and heels, or is it just that employees are adamant that the workplace not infringe on their sense of foot fashion or comfort?
Lack of flu-shot safety device poses problem for worker
Flu vaccination has just begun, and already there is a problem. But this issue affects employees rather than patients.
The California Department of Public Health found that pre-filled Fluvirin syringes by Novartis lacked a safety device that protects healthcare workers from needlesticks, according to a report from the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS). These products have been distributed nationwide.
OSHA Watch—Compliance for fit-testing and glutaraldehyde spills
This Nov.-Dec. 2008 issue of OSHA Watch updates your Quality America Safety Program manual to keep you in compliance on fit testing for N-95 respirators and determining spill response procedures for glutaraldehyde.
OSHA is inspecting and citing healthcare facilities for not conducting annual fit-testing for respirator protection from tuberculosis exposure, and now healthcare facilities are scrambling to come up to compliance on what is sometimes a time-consuming and expensive exercise.
Medical Environment Update—Practices struggle with citations and limited resources
The November issue of Medical Environment Update reports on end of the 2008 fiscal year OSHA inspection data for offices and clinics of doctors of medicine, also categorized as standard industrial classification (SIC) 801. Inspections and citations were down from last year for SIC 801, which covers physician practices of all specialties and sizes and include ambulatory surgical centers
While inspections and citations decreased, bloodborne pathogens remained the most frequently cited standard for violations.
