Hospital Employee Health – July 1, 2007
July 1, 2007
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Congress, health worker advocates press OSHA, call for hospital-specific regs
Has the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration become a weak-willed agency that fails to protect workers from many modern-day workplace hazards? That was the resonating question as the Democratic-controlled Congress bore down on the agency with oversight hearings. -
OSHA: Take steps now on pandemic protection
In a pandemic influenza outbreak, your employees will be your most critical resource. That's why hospitals should act now to identify key personnel, provide employee training, and ensure the supply of adequate personal protective equipment. -
Lesson of SARS: HCWs don't always use precautions
To protect health care workers during a pandemic, you'll need more than a stockpile of N95s and a fit-testing protocol. You'll need well-trained health care workers who understand how and when to use the respirators. -
Pandemic mask guidance frees up N95s for HCWs
If a pandemic strikes, masks can be used along with "social distancing" and hand hygiene to protect against community transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced. -
NIOSH: Monitor HCWs with chemo exposure
With an ever-expanding range of hazardous drugs, hospitals must identify employees at risk and conduct medical surveillance at least annually, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). -
Elements of a medical surveillance program
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the minimum elements of a medical surveillance program for hazardous drugs are included in this article. -
WA law targets workplace violence
It's hard to imagine a scenario of greater emotion, conflic, and potential risk than when a mental health worker visits the home of a mentally unstable person to evaluate them for involuntary psychiatric commitment.