Hospital Employee Health – July 1, 2006
July 1, 2006
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Pandemic survival guide: Be prepared and don't wait for the feds
Neighborhoods are sealed off with barbed wire fences. The trucking industry has collapsed, and basics such as food and medicine are in short supply. -
Federal implementation plan: Pandemic flu assumptions
Pandemics are unpredictable. While history offers useful benchmarks, there is no way to know the characteristics of a pandemic virus before it emerges. -
IOM panel: Don't reuse N95 masks in pandemic
Masks and respirators cannot safely be reused during an influenza pandemic - but if there is no choice, cover them with another mask or face shield, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel advises. -
Unions demand a flu-related standard
Amid a massive federal effort to prepare for a possible pandemic, occupational health should not be left to voluntary efforts, the unions said in a petition to the agency. -
CDC: Review mumps immune status of HCWs
With mumps continuing to spread in at least 11 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that all hospitals review the immune status of health care workers. -
Health care worker exclusion
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends furloughing health care workers who have active mumps or who are nonimmune and have had unprotected exposures ... -
Glutaraldehyde getting attention from CA, OSHA
The hazards of glutaraldehyde are receiving renewed attention as California tightens its regulation and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issues new guidance. -
Be vigilant: Sharps safety still tops OSHA citations
Despite widespread conversion to sharps safety devices, hospitals are more likely to be cited for violations of the bloodborne pathogens standard than any other standard. -
Virginia Mason mandatory flu policy under fire again
The mandatory influenza vaccination policy of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle has once again come under fire from unions,...