Page 3 - OSHA Guides

Working in healthcare comes with many rewards, but the nature of the job also involves lots of health and safety risks. Healthcare workers encounter an assortment of workplace dangers, from bloodborne diseases to hazardous waste. Exposure to airborne hazards like infectious pathogens and toxic chemicals is among healthcare’s most common and serious dangers.

Health and safety protocols and best practices make a huge difference in a high-risk work environment, enhancing work conditions to better benefit workers and customers. Respiratory protection for healthcare workers is one of the many ways medical facilities can keep their employees and patients safe from airborne hazards.

Effective communication keeps workplaces operating smoothly, making sure everyone is on the same page, receives clear commands, and comprehends important information. OSHA’s standard for hazard communication establishes best practices for communicating hazards to enhance the health and safety of a workplace.

OSHA’s bloodborne pathogen standard protects workers from potentially deadly and serious viruses like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B (HBV). Bloodborne pathogens can travel through bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, and semen.

Healthcare workers are especially at risk of bloodborne pathogens due to the nature of their job. Common transmissions of bloodborne pathogens include direct dermatitis contact, respiratory transmissions, and penetration from infected objects, like needles. Following OSHA’s bloodborne pathogen universal precautions implements best practices and safety measures that protect yourself and others from the risks of bloodborne viruses in your workplace.

The Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) is Washington’s independent state health and safety plan for workplaces. It enforces many similar regulations to OSHA’s generic health and safety plan with a couple of additional components and more stringent requirements that apply to local state policies and circumstances. If you own a veterinary, dental, or medical business in Washington, familiarizing yourself with WISHA will help you solidify your compliance and optimize your office in many ways, from performance to safety.

Did you know that OSHA regulations and requirements vary by state? OSHA’s divided into several regions to ensure each state heightens the health and safety of its workplaces to best suit local needs and circumstances. Each region consists of a regional and several field offices that establish and enforce their independent OSHA regulations. Most states follow the generic OSHA program protocols, with minimal to no additional or changed rulings to OSHA’s health and safety best practices and requirements. The following listed states are the ones that have their own OSHA state plans. 

Proper OSHA dentistry procedures and enforcement of OSHA sterilization requirements in dental offices can prevent transmission of infections among patients and DHCP. 

Here are some sample blood and OPM exposure statistics from the Sharps Workbook for Designing, Evaluating and implementing a Sharps Injury Prevention Program, CDC, 2008.

 Some basic hygiene and social distancing precautions that follow OSHA swine flu guidelines and can be used in every work- place include the following...

Here are some common questions we get when it comes to OSHA rules.

Safety and health managers in healthcare face a challenge when it comes to administering Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization(JCAHO) and OSHA safety and health compliance programs.