It seems that under new leadership, OSHA is stepping into new territory. We recently put up a post discussing OSHA monitoring retailers on Black Friday (http://bit.ly/1AJ8AA). This is new territory where OSHA normally doesn't interfere. It seems that OSHA is doing it again- although OSHA has in investigated medical facilities, it is now taking a new approach with them. In their new compliance document, OSHA is issuing a directive aimed squarely at health care facility compliance in regards to H1N1 procedures.
The two primary requirements are:
•Hospitals must follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines on protecting health care workers from H1N1 exposures
•There must be a good-faith effort to provide workers with N95 respirators, and if there is a legitimate shortage of these respirators, there should be evidence of ongoing monitoring of N95 supplies
"OSHA has a responsibility to ensure that the more than 9 million front line health care workers in the United States are protected to the extent possible against exposure to the virus," acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab said in a statement. "OSHA will ensure health care employers use proper controls to protect all workers, particularly those who are at high or very high risk of exposure."
Procedure for the hospital OSHA investigations will follow the traditional format that OSHA normally follows with all investigations. The various citations that OSHA will be issuing for H1N1 exposure will fall under a variety of OSHA standards- including requirements to report occupational illnesses, ensure workers wear personal protective equipment, and provide proper respiratory protection for employees.
As mentioned in our previous post, “OSHA is truly hitting every industry, and moving beyond the traditional OSHA issues like asbestos or lead.”
Source:
Wallask, Scott. "New OSHA Directive: Tread Carefully with Respirator Shortages." Media Health Leaders. 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
The two primary requirements are:
•Hospitals must follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines on protecting health care workers from H1N1 exposures
•There must be a good-faith effort to provide workers with N95 respirators, and if there is a legitimate shortage of these respirators, there should be evidence of ongoing monitoring of N95 supplies
"OSHA has a responsibility to ensure that the more than 9 million front line health care workers in the United States are protected to the extent possible against exposure to the virus," acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab said in a statement. "OSHA will ensure health care employers use proper controls to protect all workers, particularly those who are at high or very high risk of exposure."
Procedure for the hospital OSHA investigations will follow the traditional format that OSHA normally follows with all investigations. The various citations that OSHA will be issuing for H1N1 exposure will fall under a variety of OSHA standards- including requirements to report occupational illnesses, ensure workers wear personal protective equipment, and provide proper respiratory protection for employees.
As mentioned in our previous post, “OSHA is truly hitting every industry, and moving beyond the traditional OSHA issues like asbestos or lead.”
Source:
Wallask, Scott. "New OSHA Directive: Tread Carefully with Respirator Shortages." Media Health Leaders. 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
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