Archive for: Bloodborne Pathogens
Spill kits: Assembly and function
A spill kit is a set of equipment used for the removal of chemical or microbiological material from a laboratory surface or apparatus.
Chemical Spill Kits
Locate spill kits near chemicals and make sure they are easily accessible. Check the kits on an annual basis and restock them if they are depleted. The content should be specific to the chemicals used at your facility. The kit should contain:
Notes from the field: Are you using Lysol to clean that counter?
When I do my mock OSHA inspections, I often see staff members using household products to clean their counter tops and exam tables. Lysol is an EPA registered disinfectant that kills more than 99% of illnesses causing bacteria and viruses on environmental surfaces in your home, not a medical facility.
Medical Environment Update—OSHA horror stories highlight safety faux pas
Healthcare workers share their tales of extreme but true safety miscues that will make even a veteran safety officer cringe and how they converted these situations into training opportunities in the October issue of Medical Environment Update.
Here is an excerpt from that article and a look at what else is covered in October issue.
Reuse of IV equipment exposes patients to possible HIV infections
These stories never fail to scare the heck out of both patients and healthcare facilities alike. It’s a frightening thought for patients to hear stories of people who thought they were receiving care and ended up sicker than when they walked in. It’s equally frightening for healthcare facilities to hear the same story, especially when the mistake was preventable.
Yesterday CBS 4 News reported that Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL suspended a nurse for allegedly re-using supplies when administering IV fluids during stress tests. The nurse later resigned and was reported to the Florida Board of Nursing.
Notes from the field: A Needlestick! What to do, who to call, what to draw
A needlestick is one of those injuries we never think will happen to us. We are careful, we follow all of the rules, even use the required safety needles. But, somehow it happens.
It just comes out of no where! The tiny prick, the stab of pain, and that drop of BLOOD!! What do you do?? You must know how to respond quickly and correctly.
Sharps container lunch boxes; now there’s an idea
Whenever I get an inquiry through the OSHA Compliance Hotline kvetching about how federal and state governments over-regulate medical waste handling, storage and disposal, I try to tap into that quiet voice, in the back of my mind, that says, “Relax, we really don’t have it so bad.”
By comparison, consider the situation reported by Stabroek News, a Guyanan newspaper on September 8.
Notes from the field: YUCK! You got PUS, WHERE?
As I was finishing up an OSHA training class, I saw a physician running down the hall. We all turned around trying to figure out what had happened. I went to see if I could help in any way. I found the physician standing over the sink gulping and spitting out water. The medical assistant proceeded to tell me what had happened.
Ask the expert: OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard and contract workers
Q: What is my facility’s responsibility for the safety of contract workers under the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard?
A: OSHA says you share responsibility with the employer of the contract workers.
A dose of good information on workers and hepatitis B vaccinations
Questions from a reader, who strives to stay up-to-date on OSHA compliance for her OB/GYN practice by annually attending seminars, points out there is still confusion and misinformation given about hepatitis B (HBV) vaccinations and from experts, no less.
Notes From the field: No thank you, I am not that thirsty
Recently I was in an office going over some safety issues. One of the staff members said she had a pot of coffee in their break room and asked if I would like a cup.
“Sure,” I said.
The nurse and I walked back to the break room. Sure enough the coffee was just about ready as it brewed in the coffee pot that was sitting next to the autoclave. There was also a towel laying on the sink with “cleaned” vaginal speculum awaiting a cycle in the autoclave.
