If you were not trained under the bloodborne pathogens standard and offered the hepatitis B vaccination at the time you assumed your work location, then it is probably a violation of that standard.

Also, it is not an OSHA violation to work in an area where disinfection chemicals are used, but it is a violation if you were not informed of the hazard by way of the hazard communication standard and if the room air changes and ventilation does not keep meet the permissible exposure levels for that chemical.

Much of this information you are entitled to obtain from the exposure control plan, the written hazards communication plan, and the material safety data sheets for chemicals present at your workplace.

I am a 3 month recent hired medical assistant to a center for women within a hospital in Boston. When they hired me they did not have a station build for me, so in other words they do not have a desk area for me. So far they requested a station to be build for me but it was denied in the mean while they have set me in the utility room. The utility room is used for the urine specimens and for the dirty instruments. Also the ultrasound people have their desinfectant machine in this room. Is this against osha?

If the scrubs and lab coats do not function as personal proactive equipment (PPE)—most scrubs function as uniform and not PPE, then OSHA does not have oversight on laundering.

If the scrubs and lab coats function as PPE, then the employer is in violation of the bloodborne pathogen standards by having employees clean, launder, and maintain them on their own.

See Ask the expert—Bloodborne: Laundering scrubs for a detailed discussion of this question.

Since you asked about laundering and water temperature requirements, the CDC has recommendations for cleaning contaminated laundry, but this does not apply to employees’ laundering their own PPE.

CDC Guidelines for Laundry in Health Care Facilities:

• Wash soiled laundry with a detergent in water at least 71º C (160º F) for 25 minutes
• For low temperature (less than 70º C) laundry cycles, use chemicals suitable for low temperature washing at proper use concentrations
• Bleach provides an extra margin of safety when a chlorine residual of 50-150 ppm is achieved during the bleach cycle

Remember, handle soiled laundry as little as possible, place it in bags for transporting, use personal protective equipment when sorting, and don’t sort or pre-rinse in patient care areas.

Thank you for this very valuable article regarding foot wear!!

I would appreciate information regarding laundering scrubs and lab coats at home.
It’s my understanding that OSHA requires scrubs and lab coats to be laundered in water that is 160 degrees F for a minimum of 20 minutes. Laundering at home does not achieve this water temperature. A number of private practice staff say they get around this standard by using bleach when they launder their scrubs at home but vibrant colored scrubs would fade if bleach was used. Please help me locate a definitive answer on this.

All the best,
Christine Lesser
Morgan Healthcare
Livonia, MI
Email: lesserc@morganservices.com