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OSHA fines are down, but not for long
From HealthLeaders, Nov. 18, 2009
Total OSHA fines and inspections decreased across all types of healthcare facilities in FY 2009.
Medical and dental practices and hospitals saw the greatest decreases in fines, 30%-40% from the previous year, according to OSHA’s Statistics and Data Web page. Nursing care facilities and laboratories showed less dramatic decreases at 12%-14%.
Nursing facilities ($321,327) and hospital settings ($196,400) ranked first and second respectively in total fines by type of facility, accounting for nearly three-quarters of OSHA fines issued in healthcare. Next came medical ($52,214) and dental ($47,549) practices at approximately 7% each of total OSHA healthcare fines.
Even though this is the second straight year healthcare violations have seen a decline, the trend is not likely to continue. OSHA under President Obama has an increased budget, including 130 new inspectors, according to remarks made earlier this summer by acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jordan Barab to the American Society of Safety Engineers. “The law says that employers are responsible for workplace safety and health, and there’s a new sheriff in town to enforce the law,” said Barab.
Ask the expert: PPE for dental assistants
Q: Can you let me know if dental assistants are required to wear personal; protective equipment (PPE), and if so what are the options for cleaning it.
A: PPE is not based on the job title, but the hazards present. It is the employer’s responsibility to identify hazards, address those hazards in the written exposure control plan (ECP), and ensure that workers adhere to those requirements. So, first check your ECP for your facility.
More money means more problems for ASCs
On the heels of previous funding for CMS surveys of ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of $9 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will go towards state survey agencies in 43 states.
But unlike most stimulus checks, this money could have non-accredited ASCs feeling a bit nervous.
Appealing the N95 decision all the way to the top
It seems that the protest for using N95 respirators for H1N1 protection by three infection-control groups smacks of desperation. The kind of desperation that says: Yeah, we know we’re beaten on this, but we’re appealing to a higher authority, anyway.
In this case, the higher authority is President Obama.
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:
IC associations make a plea for modified H1N1 guidlines, moratorium on OSHA enforcement
It’s no secret that a couple national infection control associations disagree with the CDC regarding H1N1 respiratory protection. Back in June, when H1N1 outbreaks became a concern, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) was the first to recommend surgical masks over N95 respirators. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has also advocated for surgical masks.
But just because the CDC released their final recommendations, doesn’t mean these organizations are backing down just yet. SHEA, IDSA, and APIC have issued a letter to President Obama urging the federal government to modify the guidelines and put a moratorium on OSHA enforcement of the current H1N1 guidelines.
OSHA web site offers practical advice for dealing with H1N1 influenza precautions
Following the lead of the recent CDC flu guidance on infection control and healthcare worker protection, OSHA is providing commonsense fact sheets that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak through its newly-posted workplace safety and H1N1 Web page.
The Web page is organized under worker guidance and employer guidance categories. There is healthcare-specific content in each category.
Weekly poll: Who do you trust for N95 recommendations
Health officials, the CDC, OSHA, and just about every healthcare worker in contact with H1N1 patients have been debating the effectiveness of N95 respirators over surgical masks for protection against the flu.
It seemed everyone had a final answer when the CDC updated its interim recommendations in support of N95, and OSHA said enforcement would reflect CDC guidance. But retractions of N95 research have left some a little confused.
Now some state health departments, such as Ohio, have begun operating under their own guidelines, allowing healthcare workers to wear surgical masks instead of N95s.
What guidelines to you trust more, the CDC or your state health department? Which one is your facility following? Take the poll and let us know in the space below.
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.
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.
