Dental care professionals remain at risk for exposure to hazardous chemicals and other threats that can affect their responsibilities within the work environment. Fortunately, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, otherwise known as OSHA, looks to protect the well-being of staff and employers in all fields through training. While there isn’t yet an exclusive OSHA standard for these professionals, there are general OSHA requirements for dental hygienists to follow that are mandatory to fulfill.
Requirements
There are specific requirements that dental employers and staff must follow at all times while working a shift in their practice:
- Dental hygienists must wear and use gloves during their work hours to mitigate the transfer of bacteria and illnesses between workers and patients.
- Personal protective equipment, or PPE, must be available at all times to staff and employers and includes gowns, masks, and eye protection. Available PPE within the dental practice should be clean and maintained to promote maximum efficiency.
- Employers and staff must engage in proper needle handling procedures and use Sharps containers appropriately.
- All surfaces and high traffic areas within the dental practice must undergo proper cleaning and sanitation measures.
- If exposed to hazardous materials, an employer must have written documentation of the incident and provide a written exposure control plan that covers action against bloodborne pathogens and hazards.
- Employers are responsible for ensuring that each hygienist is offered the hepatitis B vaccination series or a written declination is documented within the first 10 days of employment with the option of offering vaccination at a later date.
Training
For dentistry, many professionals risk exposure to infectious diseases, blood pathogens, and hazardous materials. To prevent exposure and enforce proper working techniques, training material can entail some of the following topics:
- General OSHA Information
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and Handling
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Hazard Communication
- Electrical Safety
- First Aid
- Workplace Violence
Follow-Up
Once employers and staff complete the OSHA training course, an assessment test confirming their knowledge of workplace safety and protocol should be offered. Employers are to keep track of all completed assessments and certifications, should a compliance officer ask for proof of updated records.
The OSHA requirements for dental hygienists are general but must be followed to engage in safe work habits that keep a practice running. To learn more about OSHA compliance, please browse our webpage at Gamma Compliance Solutions and check out our dental OSHA compliance manuals. We also offer training courses and resources that are helpful for the dental as well as medical and veterinary fields.