Occupational Health Management Archives – November 1, 2010
November 1, 2010
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Bully pulpit: Stop workplace bullying before it causes absenteeism, turnover
Workplace bullying is known to cause lost productivity, high turnover, injury and illness, but this problem is often completely ignored by managers and senior leaders. -
Many bullying policies lack 'teeth,' ineffective
A zero tolerance policy for bullying will get zero results, unless it spells out clearly what will be done in response to employee reports. Here are three questions that should be answered but are probably not in your company's policy: -
Is occ health data being misinterpreted by others?
If someone asks you for data on how many physicals you did this year, or how many drug tests were given to employees, this may sound like a pretty straightforward request. However, you need to think twice before handing it over. -
Get rid of 'accidents waiting to happen'
Do you consider work areas as part of your "office?" If you do, you will almost certainly spot some unidentified Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations. -
Don't simply treat, discover root cause
When an employee comes to you and tells you his shoulder is bothering him, you can do one of two things. You can either treat the problem and send him on his way, or you can dig deeper. -
It's not enough to know PPE isn't worn: Learn why
Is personal protective equipment (PPE) uncomfortable, too hot, poor-fitting or unattractive looking? The reality, very often, is that employees won't wear it. -
The needlestick that changed her life
Karen Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, remembers the stick as if it happened in slow-motion, the details still clear to her 12 years later. -
CDC: Monitor HCWs for flu symptoms
During last year's H1N1 influenza pandemic, health care workers inadvertently transmitted flu to their co-workers, in some cases triggering a hospital-based outbreak. That and other information about H1N1 transmission helped shape new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that rely on vaccination, respiratory hygiene, and monitoring of ill employees by employee health professionals. -
OSHA may crack down on sleepless doctors
The problem of fatigued medical residents has gotten the attention of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.