Hospital Employee Health 2005-03-01

OSHA coaxes employers to adopt ergonomics — ‘to do the right thing’

Employers who want to do the right thing to confront musculoskeletal disorder hazards can expect more help from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration with case studies of best practices and increased outreach.

Promoting ergonomics without defining MSDs

The National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics completed its two-year term with recommendations and these statements about ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Nurses still taught to use ‘body mechanics’

This is what most student nurses still are being taught about lifting: Have the proper body mechanics. Put your arms under the patients armpits. Rock on the balls of your feet and lift and propel the patient.

Breathe easy with fit-test programs that work

For many hospitals, annual respirator fit-testing represents a costly and time-consuming burden. But these two hospitals found a way to manage fit-testing one by emphasizing just-in-time readiness, the other by expanding fit-testing into hospitalwide emergency preparedness. They shared their approach with Hospital Employee Health,

Fit-test programs

These programs were identified by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, as needing a respiratory protection program.

Goggles are important barrier to infection

Amid the debate over respiratory protection for health care workers, another form of personal protective equipment has received little attention. Goggles are an important component of infection control, as health care workers are commonly exposed to infectious disease hazards through the mucous membranes of the eye.

CDC recommendations: HCWs need to protect their eyes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of eye protection when health care workers may be at risk of acquiring infectious diseases through ocular exposure.

Cut pre-placement exams without cutting corners

By streamlining your pre-placement screening and eliminating a full medical exam, you can save time and money without missing any important information. That was the conclusion of a study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Supporters may push for NIOSH break from CDC

Supporters of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are continuing their push to protect its independence and stature.

Congress expresses its support for NIOSH

The U.S. Senate placed this wording in the report that accompanied the FY 2005 Omnibus Spending Bill.

It’s not over: Prepare for a strange flu season

Thomson American Health Consultants has developed an influenza sourcebook to ensure you and your hospital are prepared for what could happen this flu season or the next.

Go on-line for this month’s Bioterrorism Watch

The March/April 2005 issue of Bioterrorism Watch can be found on-line exclusively for subscribers of Hospital Employee Health.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: Patient safety goals include key infection control issues

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has set patient safety goals for 2005 that include several high-profile infection control issues.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: JCAHO urges flu, pneumonia prevention in long-term care

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has set a 2005 patient safety goal for long-term settings to reduce the risk of influenza and pneumococcal disease.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: Lab an area of increasing interest in JCAHO surveys

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has determined that the laboratory is an essential service, meaning failure in the laboratory extends to failure in the hospital, a compliance consultant advises.

Bioterrorism Watch supplement

Hospital Employee Health – March 1, 2005

March 1, 2005