Tips & Updates about OSHA & Hazwoper Training Courses | Safety Tips

Healthcare and hospital employers were reminded yesterday hazardous drugs like antineoplastic drugs can be extremely dangerous to works if proper precautions are not taken while handling these drugs. OSHA, NIOSH and the Joint Commission have all highlighted the need for safer work practices that hospitals in the United States should implement. Drugs used for antiviral treatments, chemotherapy, hormone regimens and other such applications can pose as potential hazards to workers who come in contact with them. The effects are irreversible even if exposed at low levels, and this is why adequate safety measures should take place. Some of the problems faced include: cancer, allergic reactions, reproductive or developmental problems and many others. Some of these drugs are highly potent and can have great benefits for patients if used properly, where the doses are highly controlled and the risks are minimized. But these same drugs can pose as serious hazards to those who handle, apply, mix, ...

OSHA has announced that they will issue a compliance directive that will implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for the H1N1 2009 Influenza in healthcare settings. This is a first move from the offer a requirement posture for dealing H1N1. OSHA Directives will prescribe a uniform procedure that governs OSHA inspections of the healthcare institutions for the occupational exposure to the swine flu. The covered healthcare set by OSHA includes acute care nursing homes, hospitals, physicians’ offices, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, home healthcare agencies and urgent care centers. Based on the employee complaints, OSHA will conduct a thorough inspection. Though it is not clear of how much CDC guidance will be included into the OSHA’s directive and the level of compliance will be required, healthcare employers are advised to make reasonable efforts ensuring their postings conform, procedures, policies and for...