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Hospital Employee Health – October 1, 2008

October 1, 2008

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  • New math: OSHA could multiply fines by the number of employees affected

    Lapses in personal protective equipment and training could soon become a lot more costly. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a "clarification" of rules, including the respirator protection and bloodborne pathogen standards, that give it authority to magnify fines for hospitals and other employers.
  • New wording emphasizes 'per employee' duty

    OSHA has proposed wording changes to the following sections of standards that related to the health care industry:
  • Why zero isn't the only sharps safety goal

    No more needlesticks. That sounds like a laudable goal that could prevent health care workers from being exposed to deadly diseases. But, in tandem, hospitals need to maintain another important message that could actually cause their numbers to rise: Report all needlesticks.
  • Is a no-fit respirator on the horizon?

    Imagine a disposable respirator that fits well right out of the box. Or perhaps even a respirator that's inexpensive and requires no annual fit-test.
  • VA and CDC offer different protocols

    When removing personal protective equipment, it's important for health care workers to realize that the gowns, gloves, masks, and goggles are contaminated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have slightly different protocols, but both are designed to prevent health care workers from becoming ill from contaminated PPE.
  • Iowa sets a high bar for HCW flu vaccination

    Many hospitals would be happy to lift their rate of health care worker influenza immunization past 60% or 70%, but in Iowa, the bar is quite a bit higher than that. In fact, it is near perfection.
  • Why ergonomics should belong to employees

    The problem is a common one: Patient handling leads to back strain and pain and even to serious injury. The solution is less obvious: Empower health care workers to analyze the tasks and come up with their own corrective plan.
  • NIOSH: Take steps to reduce hazard of stress

    It just takes an evening of viewing the television drama E.R. to know that hospital work is stressful. But the stress that evolves into an occupational hazard isn't from treating trauma victims or mysterious illnesses.