Ohio OKs surgical masks after N95 study retraction
At least one state isn’t hesitating to change respiratory protection requirements after authors of an influential Australian study retracted findings that N95 respirators provide more protection than surgical masks against the flu.
Ohio state officials have backed out on previous support of CDC requirements that recommend N95 respirators for healthcare workers treating patients with suspected H1N1, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. State requirements will now permit the use of surgical masks.
Ask the expert: OSHA fire drill requirements
Q: What are the OSHA fire drill requirements for medical and dental offices?
A: Federal OSHA does not specifically require fire drills, but the agency’s Small Business Handbook recommends that employers “conduct frequent drills to ensure that all employees know what to do under stressful conditions.”
Lab infections don’t always translate to sloppy practices
It’s been a tough last couple weeks at Boston hospitals between a stabbing at Massachusetts General Hospital, and tainted coffee at a Harvard medical laboratory.
You can add another one to the list. An incident at a Boston University medical lab completed the safety trifecta last week when a BU graduate student developed a bacterial infection days after conducting experiments with dangerous meningitis germs, according to The Boston Globe.
OSHA violations by healthcare facility type
Total OSHA fines were down across all types of healthcare facilities as of the end the federal government’s fiscal year 2009, according to OSHA Statistics and Data Web page. (www.osha.gov/oshstats/index.html, accessed October 5, 2009.)
Medical and dental practices and hospitals saw the greatest decreases, 30%-40%, with nursing care facilities and laboratories showing more modest decreases at 12%-14%.
Authors of N95 study retract findings
Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into the swine-flu preparedness works.
The authors of a key study on N95 respirator use for H1N1 influenza protection have retracted their conclusion about favoring N95 masks over surgical or procedure masks, according to a October 31 MedPage Today article.
