Hospital Employee Health – July 1, 2012
July 1, 2012
View Issues
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Will CMS survey enforce OSHA regs?
As the lines blur between patient safety and worker safety, employee health professionals can expect much more scrutiny from regulators who traditionally focused on patient care. -
CMS survey targets employee health
The pilot testing version of the CMS survey includes the following elements on hospital employee health: -
ECRI: Sharps injuries among top hazards in HC
Sharps injuries rank eighth in the top 10 device hazards of 2012, according to ECRI Institute, a research organization and evidence-based practice center based in Plymouth Meeting, PA. That places sharps injuries on par with surgical fires (No. 7) and anesthesia hazards due to incomplete pre-use inspection (No. 9). -
OSHA's top citation: No exposure control plan
Failing to keep your exposure control plan up to date could lead to a citation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. -
Will you pledge to stop needlesticks?
Would you take a pledge to raise awareness about sharps injuries and use safer devices? A new coalition called Safe in Common is traversing the country, seeking signed pledges as a way to jumpstart a renewed commitment to sharps injury prevention. -
How and why to fix your respirator program
Gaps in your respiratory protection program can create unnecessary hazards for your employees. A survey of hospitals in California and the Midwest has revealed those weaknesses. For example, health care workers often receive minimal training and are confused about which respirator to use for aerosol-generating procedures. -
Suspect TB, protections failed, HCWs infected
The basic premise of worker safety is to provide layers of protection. If each layer is sufficiently flawed, the protection is compromised. That is the lesson of a recent Health Hazard Evaluation in an Arizona hospital, where 18 employees had a TB skin test conversion in 2011 and one employee developed active tuberculosis.