Healthcare

In the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, OSHA’s Respirator Fit Testing (RFT) requirements are probably the last thing on the minds of health care providers. However, proper fit of respiratory PPE is essential to protecting health care workers from exposure to COVID-19. After all, if a respirator is not fitted properly, it provides little […]

OSHA’s Recordkeeping deadline is quickly approaching. By February 1, employers in the U.S. covered by the rule are required to prepare, certify and post a signed hard copy of their Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A) in a location accessible to employees to view. While OSHA has made no changes to the Rule […]

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) estimates that more than 8 million US healthcare workers are exposed to hazardous drugs (HDs) in the workplace each year. Hazardous drugs (HDs) are a class of pharmaceuticals that pose serious health risks to individuals who handle them, including organ toxicity, reproductive and developmental defects, genetic toxicity, cancer and […]

by Phil Molé An employee at a popular chain restaurant recently died due to chemical exposures from a reaction between common, but incompatible, cleaning compounds. This incident, like many others before it, is disturbing because the chemicals used are so common, and tragic because it is avoidable. It’s an unfortunate reminder that HazCom management is […]

The U.S. health care industry employs more than 20 million individuals and I’m willing to bet that each and every one of us has a friend or family member who’s worked as a nurse, a doctor, a home health care worker, paramedic or other health care professional. For so many of us, the threat of […]

Welcome to the sixth and final installment in our “Intro to HazCom” series! If you missed our previous posts in this series or want to refresh your memory, just follow the hyperlinks to read about the basics of HazCom (Parts One and Two), the challenges of chemical container labeling (Part Three), the requirements for a […]

A spill of anhydrous ammonia in Beach Park in Lake County, Illinois on Wednesday, April 25 has resulted in the closure of several area schools and at least 32 people being hospitalized so far. As of this time, the cause of the spill is still under investigation. Area news reports indicate that the Lake County […]

EPA has issued a new final rule officially titled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine.” The rule, issued on December 11, aims to reduce the compliance burden on healthcare facilities generating waste pharmaceuticals and retailers who sell certain nicotine products, while facilitating re-use and enabling better management […]

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discusses trends in cases of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that were first identified by a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) analysis of workers’ compensation claims. The report identifies the industries and occupations with the highest reported rates of CTS, and calculates rates […]

This week, the Unites States remembers the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We’ve had 17 years now of grieving and lesson-learning, but the emotional scars will always remain. For many people who were near Ground Zero of the WTC attacks, especially first responders called to the scene and their loved ones, the pain of […]