Archive for: March, 2009
Medical Environment Update—Finding fire safety guidance
Smaller healthcare facilities struggle to determine where they fit in concerning the Life Safety Code, reports the April issue of Medical Environment Update. No one ever said fire safety was easy. But at least if you are a hospital or larger medical facility that falls under Joint Commission accreditation, your fire safety requirements are spelled out, as intricate as they may be.
But for small facilities such as physician offices or dental practices, fire safety can easily be buried at the bottom of their to-do lists.
An OSHA fire safety quick-guide
Editor’s note. The April issue of Medical Environment Update focuses on fire safety, particularly as it relates to medical and dental practices, clinics and other non-hospital settings. Here is additional information that was referenced in the issue and available only through the OSHA Healthcare Advisor.
Since fire safety requires close involvement with staff members, OSHA has a number of requirements in order to protect employees. Below are a few important fire safety considerations:
Patient handling bill reintroduced
A bill that was introduced in 2006 to decrease the stress on nurses’ backs is being reintroduced by U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), the same Representative that introduced it the first time.
Originally titled “Nurse And Patient Safety & Protection Act of 2006,” the new bill will likely have a new name and changes in wording. The new bill is expected to be reintroduced in the next few weeks, according to a email release from Anne Hudson, founder of Work Injured Nurses Group (WING) USA.
Ask the Expert—Tap or bottled water
Q: Our tap water in the office is terrible. What are the OSHA requirements for an employer providing safe drinking water to its employees?
Weekly Poll: Topics that give you trouble
Questions regarding OSHA standards come into this blog all the time, either in the form of comments or emails. Many of them we use for our Ask the Expert posts. Some questions are so specific they might only benefit a couple facilities, while others are beneficial to a broad audience.
In May OSHA Healthcare Advisor is hosting OSHA Q&A Roundtable that features experts who will answer your specific compliance questions.
For now, tell us what issues elicit the most questions for you.
Getting the lead out: Radiation aprons and hazardous waste
I found myself in an e-mail conversation recently about the disposal of lead radiation aprons and whether there is a hazardous waste or EPA aspect to this activity.
Annual safety training doesn’t have to be a chore
Annual safety training, or any training for that matter, can sometimes be looked at as a nuisance, especially by experienced workers who may have seen the same old video year-in and year-out.
That’s why it’s imperative that those responsible for safety training vary the way in which they offer training so employees actually enjoy the time spent reviewing safety standards, rather than loath it.
FDA warns against sharing insulin pens
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release last week reminding healthcare professionals that they should use insulin pens only on one patient and then dispose of the device. The FDA is aware of incidents at two undisclosed hospitals, where healthcare workers used pens to administer insulin on multiple patients, putting more than 2,000 people at risk for hepatitis and HIV.
When IT partners with IC
You might not consider yourself the most technically savvy person, but even if you’re still struggling to learn all of the ins and outs of your computer, you can still appreciate some of the new IC gadgets for the healthcare setting.
Smoke gets in your eyes, and other places during surgery
With the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) introducing Plume Scavenging (CSA Z305.13) to help eliminate toxic airborne contaminants, such as smoke, from operating rooms and other settings on March 18, it good to remember that while OSHA does not have a specific standard on similar hazards, there is advice for for U.S. healthcare facilities.
