Archive for: OSHA - Citations & Fines
Weekly Poll: OSHA inspections
It’s a pretty simple question, but a legit concern for some places. Do you think your facility would get tagged during an OSHA inspection?
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OSHA to fine PPE violations per employee
Starting today, OSHA is now able to multiply any fines related to personal protective equipment (PPE) violations by the number of your employees, rather than issuing one practice-wide citation.
The agency served notice of this change across its standards in Clarification of Employers’ Duty to Provide Personal Protective Equipment and Train Each Employee in the December 12 Federal Register. It says, “Each employee not protected may be considered a separate violation and penalties assessed accordingly.”
OSHA Obama-gram
Although it was not a hot campaign item by either party, in the wake of the presidential election, lots of safety experts and OSHA watchers have speculated as to what the Obama administration will mean to OSHA.
Conventional wisdom says that OSHA is more active under a Democrat administration. As critics of the current administration like to point out, fewer OSHA standards have been promulgated under President Bush than any of his predecessors since the OSHA Act became law in 1970. In case you forgot, that was under President Nixon.
Most of the prognosticators point to more energetic enforcement—meaning more inspections, higher fines, maybe even criminal penalties for egregious violations—the approval of new standards, additional funding for training, and the resurrection of the ergonomic standard, albeit in a different form.
Just for fun, imagine you have a direct line to the President-elect’s ear. What OSHA changes would you suggest specific to healthcare?
Medical Environment Update—Practices struggle with citations and limited resources
The November issue of Medical Environment Update reports on end of the 2008 fiscal year OSHA inspection data for offices and clinics of doctors of medicine, also categorized as standard industrial classification (SIC) 801. Inspections and citations were down from last year for SIC 801, which covers physician practices of all specialties and sizes and include ambulatory surgical centers
While inspections and citations decreased, bloodborne pathogens remained the most frequently cited standard for violations.
Knock, Knock… it’s OSHA
So, OSHA is standing at your doorstep… what now?
In this months issue of Medical Environment Update, Ann Costello MT(ASCP), a clinical lab scientist at IGO Medical Group in San Diego and safety officer at the 10-physician facility shares some of her experiences complying with OSHA standards. Costello also indicated she had experienced an OSHA inspection at a previous employer, and offered some advice that we have conveniently turned into a game of fact or fiction.
An OSHA and public relations nightmare that didn’t have to be
How would you like to be responsible for OSHA compliance at a healthcare facility where the local newspaper reports that one of your managers allegedly disciplined a staff member by making her rummage through biohazardous waste? And, on top of that, the employee who filed the complaint with OSHA is now suing you for wrongful termination under the Whistleblower Act.
Any takers?
Size doesn’t matter; not when it comes to OSHA inspections
There is a false assumption that small physician practices are immune to OSHA inspections.
That’s just not true.
