OSHA Healthcare Advisor

Ohio OKs surgical masks after N95 study retraction

Evan Sweeney — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:19:46 +0000

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 H1N1. Ohio state officials have backed out on previous support of CDC requirements that recommend N95 respirators for healthcare workers treating patients with suspected H1N1.

Ask the expert: OSHA fire drill requirements

David LaHoda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:07 +0000

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

Terry Jo Gile — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:02:55 +0000

Typically a news story about a lab worker with a dangerous infection usually translates to OSHA violations. But that's not always the case. A BU medical lab seems to have taken all the proper precautions after realizing a grad student could have contracted meningitis. Terry Jo Gile, the Safety Lady blogs about what the lab did right.

OSHA violations by healthcare facility type

David LaHoda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:34:32 +0000

Total OSHA fines were down across all types of healthcare facilities as of the end the federal government’s fiscal year 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

David LaHoda — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:50 +0000

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.

H1N1 settlement avoids strike, sets standard

Evan Sweeney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:58 +0000

A settlement between the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) and Catholic Healthcare West in San Francisco averted a planned nurses strike on October 30, and potentially set the pace for other states regarding healthcare worker protection against H1N1, according to a November 2 press release.

H1N1 vaccine demand clogs hotline

Peggy Luebbert — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:23 +0000

With a shortage of H1N1 vaccines, every state is feeling the brunt of frightened patients looking for protection. In one Minneapolis flu clinic the hotline crashed from callers looking for the vaccine. IC blogger Peg Luebbert discusses how to distribute H1N1 vaccines.

Nurses group to CDC: No excuse for N95 shortage

David LaHoda — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:41:12 +0000

Given all the warnings to prepare for pandemic influenza during the past few years, it is just inexcusable for employers to shortchange nurses by not providing proper respiratory protection with N95 respirators, says the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Ask the expert: Who can perform needlestick evaluations?

David LaHoda — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:38:01 +0000

For postexposure needlestick evaluations OSHA requires a licensed healthcare professional whose legally permitted scope of practice allows him or her to independently perform the activities required by paragraph (f), Hepatitis B Vaccination and Post-exposure Evaluation and Follow-up of the bloodborne pathogens standard.

Environmental cleaning: Bleach vs. disinfectant

Medical Environment Update — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:28:53 +0000

For many years it was recommended that healthcare facilities use 1:10 or 1:100 bleach-to-water mixture to clean patient rooms because it was the best at killing infectious organisms. Now manufacturers have produced EPA-registered quaternary ammonium (Quat) or other low-level or intermediate-level disinfectants.