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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged healthcare employers to address a spike in workplace illnesses and injuries among their employees. There was a 249% increase in injury and illness rates in 2020 among nursing assistants, according to the agency, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. There was a 38.3% increase across private […]
In March, OSHA issued its Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The updates extend existing OSHA protections for workplace safety whistleblowers, explicitly stating those protections apply to those who report COVID-19 related violations at the workplace by creating a National Emphasis Program (NEP). Higher Risk Industries In addition, the memo also classifies […]
The ramping up of vaccination for COVID-19 comes with rising concerns about bloodborne pathogen (BBP) exposure for vaccinators and the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as steps to prevent needlestick injuries and other BBP program requirements.
While workplace violence can happen in any industry or occupation, healthcare and social services workers face a high risk of job-related violence. Workplace assaults ranged from 23,540 and 25,630 annually over a 3-year period, and 70% to 74% of those occurred in healthcare and social services settings.
On day 2 of Safety 2019, the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals, taking place June 9–12 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Yeu-Li Yeung, the patient care ergonomics coordinator for Duke University Health System, and Neal Wiggermann, PhD, a specialist research scientist specializing in human factors and […]
Integra Health Management, Inc., failed to fulfill its responsibility when an employee was stabbed and later died, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) recently decided.
An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) panel began work on developing standards for the safe handling of hazardous drugs. The expert panel endorsed three sets of existing guidelines and standards. However, it also identified issues it felt existing standards did not adequately address.
Why the fuss about bacteria and booze? Well, there’s a potentially serious EHS concern blossoming for healthcare facilities as certain forms of bacteria are becoming more tolerant of the alcohol used in popular hand sanitizers.
As have other organizations that advocate for healthcare workers, the Joint Commission is strongly urging healthcare organizations to take a comprehensive look at the occurrence of violence against their employees and take steps toward implementing protections that “look beyond solutions that only increase scrutiny.”
Hospitals are among the most dangerous workplaces in the country, averaging nearly seven work-related injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-time employees. That’s nearly twice the rate for private industry as a whole. Cases of nonfatal occupational injury and illness for healthcare workers are among the highest of any industry sector.