Author Archive for: OSHA Healthcare Advisor Poll
Weekly Poll: Summer dress codes and safety
July 23rd, 2012 
Do how staff members dress in summertime create worker safety or patient safety problems. Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Staff and TB testing
July 9th, 2012
For the settings in your healthcare organization that are at low risk for TB exposure, do you follow CDC guidelines and not do annually tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) on staff and volunteers?
Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Checking for slip, trip, fall hazards
June 18th, 2012
Week #3 of National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Month is Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls week. According to the NIOSH workbook, Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention for Healthcare Workers, the incidence rate of lost-workday injuries from slips, trips, and falls (STFs) in hospitals was 90% greater than the average rate for all other private industries combined.
NIOSH recommends conducting regular walk throughs using an STF check list to identify hazards, keeping a file of hazard photographs or descriptions, identifying staff members responsible for fixing the hazard and a targeted completion date. Compared to NIOSH recommendations, how thorough are you or staff members with regular STF walk-through inspection.
Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: How serious are you about ergonomics?
June 11th, 2012
The National Safety Council has designated the second week of June as ergonomics week. Is an ergonomics policy a key part of the safety program in your healthcare facility? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: How green are you?
June 4th, 2012
How well does your healthcare facility or department do in following environmentally sound practices? In other words: How green are you? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Domestic violence in the workplace
May 14th, 2012
Federal employers will be required to create policies to prevent domestic violence in the workplace. Does your workplace violence prevention program specifically address the threats and effects of domestic violence in the workplace? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Nurses and workplace safety
May 7th, 2012
For Nurses Week, May 6th – 12th, the focus of the Weekly Poll is on nursing, of course. Compared to other working groups or occupations in your healthcare facility or organization, how well do nurses advocate for and put into practice workplace safety for themselves and co-workers? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Can OSHA pick up the pace?
April 30th, 2012
In reporting on why OSHA takes so long to complete standards, the U.S. Government Accountability Office cited multiple challenges including, “increased procedural requirements, shifting priorities, and a rigorous standard of judicial review.” Do you predict that changes will be made to allow OSHA standards to be developed more quickly than before? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Color-coded scrubs for nurses
April 23rd, 2012
A health system’s switch to color-coded scrubs is receiving push-back from nurses, according to a post appearing on The Leaders’ Lounge.
The reasoning behind the change is that in healthcare where most workers wear scrubs, including nurses and specialists as well receptionists, transporters, and housekeepers, color-coded uniforms are an easy way for patients to quickly identify the people who can best assist them.
While not strictly a worker safety issue, scrubs-related and uniform questions are always a hot topic among OSHA Healthcare Advisor readers.
Should nurses be required to wear prescribed color scrubs or uniforms? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Surviving an OSHA inspection, right now
April 9th, 2012
OSHA’s recently announced National Emphasis Program (NEP) for nursing and residential care facilities will focus on exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material; exposure to other communicable diseases such as tuberculosis; exposure to hazardous chemicals and drugs; ergonomic stressors related to lifting patients; workplace violence; slips, trips and falls.
Regardless of your facility type, how confident are you that your healthcare facility would be citation-free if an OSHA NEP inspection occurred right now? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: Staff safety training and education
March 19th, 2012
What percentage of your job do you spend on staff safety training and education? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
Weekly poll: OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard enforcement in non-hospital settings
March 12th, 2012
As part of a call to action statement, 19 nursing and healthcare organizations have asked OSHA to promote regional emphasis programs focusing on enforcement of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in non-hospital settings. Are you in favor of more bloodborne exposure and needlestick enforcement efforts by OSHA in non-hospital settings? Take the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Weekly Poll and let us know.
