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The occupational health community has been shaken by the loss of one of its leaders. Geoff Kelafant, MD, MSPH, FACOEM, 45, died unexpectedly March 16 while vacationing in Cancun, Mexico.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has taken an unprecedented interest in improving infection control in the nations hospitals. In addition to making reducing nosocomial infections a national patient safety goal, the Joint Commission is preparing to roll out prescriptive new infection control standards for 2005.
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According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), An effective [respiratory protection] program requires a systematic approach to evaluating workplace conditions, selecting the appropriate respirator, ensuring the respirator fits, and maintaining the respirator properly. Here are some provisions of the standard.
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Hospitals are buying powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) and trimming the ranks of employees who potentially would use respirators as a way to cut down on fit-testing.
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TB, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, monkeypox: Your respiratory protection program needs to take into account the different transmission characteristics of each agent.
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Confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China and the emergence of a new strain of avian flu in Vietnam set the public health world on edge and highlighted one important message for hospitals: Be prepared to encounter newly emerging diseases.
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To improve hand hygiene among health care workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Health care workers only need to use the traditional soap and water if their hands are visibly soiled, according to the CDC.
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Hospitals seeking to make alcohol-based hand gels as accessible as possible have run into a firewall. Some state or local fire marshals have prohibited dispensers in corridors because of concerns about flammability.
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The tougher enforcement touted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) so far has failed to significantly affect the hospital sector. No hospitals have received citations related to ergonomic hazards, despite the fact that overexertion in lifting is the leading cause of injury in the industry.
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The American Nurses Association (ANA) in Washington, DC, is making a major push for zero lift.
