OSHA Announces COVID Inspections in Hospitals, SNFs
Includes seeing that prior citations corrected
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a temporary increase in “focused” inspections of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.1 The increased focus, designed to get the attention of these facilities to ensure they are protecting employees, began March 9, 2022, and will end on June 9, 2022. Facilities may be selected for inspections if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Follow-up inspection of any prior inspection where a COVID-19-related citation or hazard alert letter (HAL) was issued;
- Follow-up or monitoring inspections for randomly selected closed COVID-19 unprogrammed activity (UPA), to include COVID-19 complaints and Rapid Response Investigations (RRIs);
- Monitoring inspections for randomly selected, remote-only COVID-19 inspections where COVID-19-related citations were issued previously.
OSHA called for its area offices to “generate a list” of previously inspected establishments where COVID-19 citations or HALs were issued, including remote-only inspections where COVID-19-related citations were issued, the agency states.
“OSHA’s goal is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and future variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and ensure the health and safety of healthcare workers at heightened risk for contracting the virus,” the agency memorandum states. “Through this initiative, OSHA will assess employer compliance efforts, including the readiness of hospitals and skilled nursing care employers to address any ongoing or future COVID-19 surges.”
OSHA inspection procedures include the following instructions to its compliance safety and health officers:
- Determine whether previously cited COVID-19-related violations have been corrected or remain in the process of correction.
- Determine whether the employer has implemented a COVID-19 plan that includes preparedness, response, and control measures for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- Verify the existence and effectiveness of all control measures, including procedures for determining vaccination status by reviewing relevant records. Verification of vaccination protocols may be an indicator of a facility’s overall COVID-19 mitigation tactics. OSHA will refer any vaccination-related deficiencies to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- Request and evaluate the establishment’s COVID-19 log and the Injury and Illness Logs (OSHA 300 Log, OSHA 300A Summary, and any applicable OSHA 301 Incident Reports) for calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022, if available, to identify work-related cases of COVID-19.
- Review the facility’s procedures for conducting hazard assessments and protocols for personal protective equipment use.
- Conduct a limited records review of the employer’s respiratory protection program. The records reviewed may be limited to the written respiratory protection program and fit tests, medical evaluations, and training records for the interviewed employees.
- Perform a limited, focused walkaround of areas designated for COVID-19 patient treatment or handling (common areas, walkways, and vacant treatment areas where patients have been or will be treated), including performing employee interviews to determine compliance.
REFERENCE
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. COVID-19 focused inspection initiative in healthcare. Published March 2, 2022. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2022-03-02
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced a temporary increase in “focused” inspections of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.
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