Hospital Employee Health – May 1, 2006
May 1, 2006
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Landmark law requires Washington hospitals to buy lift equipment
Washington has become the first state in the nation to require hospitals to use patient transfer equipment "instead of manual lifting"; as part of a safe patient handling program. The law, which easily passed the state House and Senate, with support from unions and the hospital association, is a landmark for the safe patient handling movement. -
Nursing grads may demand safer lifting
Future nursing graduates will come to their job interviews with new expectations and questions about safe patient handling. -
Will vaccine protect HCWs before a pandemic?
Could health care workers receive some vaccine protection from avian influenza even before a global pandemic occurs? -
Pandemic influenza plan: You can't do it alone
Every year is a mini-drill for pandemic influenza. Hospitals vaccinate thousands of health care workers against seasonal flu, set priorities amid shortages or delays in vaccine supply, and put renewed emphasis on hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. -
Surveillance and Monitoring of HCWs and Exposure Management
All persons entering the Level 3 Isolation room must sign the Avian Influenza Contact Log, which will be collected by Infection Control. This log will be initiated and posted by the charge nurse in the area. -
HCW sickline: 'Please press 1 for fever'
The first sign of an outbreak in your hospital may come from your employees. A cluster of sick workers in one unit raises an alarm. -
Patient safety is key for employee health workers
Employee safety is patient safety. After all, those employees are your patients, and by improving their work environment and teaching them about safety measures, you help them protect their patients. -
Hospital saves by spending on employee health
The market for nurses in Southern California is vicious. Hospitals try to entice them away from competitors by offering signing bonuses, car payments, and even closing costs on home purchases. -
Edwin Foulke confirmed as new OSHA head
Edwin G. Foulke Jr., a South Carolina attorney who represented businesses in their dealings with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), received U.S. Senate confirmation as the new OSHA administrator.