Author Archive for: David LaHoda
Ask the expert: Sharps container disposal height
July 2nd, 2010 
Q: What is the OSHA regulation height for sharps disposal containers?
A: OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard section (d)(4)(iii)(A)(2)(i) does not specify height, only that sharps disposal containers must be “Easily accessible to personnel and located as close as is feasible to the immediate area where sharps are used or can be reasonably anticipated…”
Employers can determine accessibility by referring to the NIOSH document Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers.
Join the experts for infection prevention guidance on developing a mandatory flu shot policy for healthcare workers
June 30th, 2010
If concern about low rates of flu shots among healthcare workers has always been on the front burner, then last year’s H1N1 pandemic and the adoption of mandatory flu shots by some organizations raised matters to the boiling point. Click here and here to read the comments for yourself.
The current draft CDC guidance for prevention of influenza in healthcare facilities (click here and search for “CDC”) places healthcare worker vaccination highest in priority saying:
Ask the expert: A hazardous substance list for your practice
June 29th, 2010
Q: Must a medical practice create a list of all hazardous substances used in the workplace? It seems as if the MSDS file already covers that information.
A: Yes, the Hazard Communication standard does require the employer to compile a list of hazardous substances in the workplace as part of the written plan:
NIOSH posts Spanish–language guidance for safe lifting in nursing homes
June 28th, 2010
NIOSH recently posted the Spanish version of “Safe Lifting and Movement of Nursing Home Residents” to it Web site.
The guide, originally published in English in 2006, is for nursing home employers, administrators, nurse managers, safety officers, and healthcare workers interested in establishing a safe resident lifting program.
Ask the expert: What does OSHA mean by annual training?
June 25th, 2010
Q: What does OSHA mean by annual training—every 12 months or within each calendar year?
A: While the language varies across standards—sometimes saying every 12 months, other times described as at least annually—annual training, as far a s OSHA is concerned always means “at least once every 12 months,” according to a January 24, 2007 OSHA interpretation letter, “Acceptable time lapse for ‘annual’ training.
NIOSH advises on protection for first responders
June 22nd, 2010
Paramedics have a higher risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens than most other healthcare workers, according to a new NIOSH workplace solutions document.
Preventing Exposures to Bloodborne Pathogens Among Paramedics provides practical recommendations aimed at protecting first responders from infections from the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and HIV, which causes AIDS.
Medical waste storage: It’s usually a state matter
June 21st, 2010
A frequently asked question submitted to the OSHA Healthcare Advisor concerns medical waste. The common misconception is that federal OSHA regulates this area.
However, that is only partly true. The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen standard (1910.1030) addresses exposure hazards to regulated waste particularly at the point of generation, initial containment, bagging, and labeling
Tools can help in preventing workplace violence in healthcare
June 18th, 2010
Here’s a post on violence in healthcare settings from our colleague, Steve MacArthur, at the Hospital Safety Center, that is relevant enough to reprint in full:
It can’t happen here… can it? You betcha it can!
That’s the question and answer that hospitals are really going to need to start working on in order to stay ahead of the game when it comes to the management of violence in their facility.Read the rest of this entry »
Ask the expert: Sterilizer logs in dental practices
June 18th, 2010
Q: In a dental office, does OSHA require us to keep logs of our autoclave operations, for example the indicator slips that validate the sterilization process was successful?
A: You should keep a log, not so much for OSHA regulations—remember, OSHA is for employee safety, not patient safety—but for adherence to basic infection control concepts and individual state regulations.
Flu summit presentations available
June 17th, 2010
Presentations from The National Influenza Vaccine Summit, “Pandemic, Perceptions, Progress, Prevention and Perspectives” held May 17-19 in Scottsdale, AZ, are now available online.
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David LaHoda
David LaHoda, the managing editor of Medical Environment Update and OSHA Watch, has produced healthcare training videos and consulted for medical practices and ambulatory healthcare facilities.
David has written 369 posts.
