What's Required for Home Health?
Q: Could you tell me what is required of a small (< 10 employees) free-standing home health care agency to be in compliance with OSHA? Are there OSHA requirements for that small of a business? Your website is a good location for resources but I'm just not sure what might be needed. Please give recommendations on what's necessary.
A: Thanks for your compliment on our website! In fact, OSHA does NOT provide an exemption to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard for small employers. If any employee of your staff may contact patient blood or other potentially infectious materials you must provide an exposure control plan, vaccination, and training. The Quality America Basic Compliance Program includes everything you would need for $449 (just $429 if you choose to receive the newsletter by email not US mail).
Also, here's an excerpt from a letter that OSHA wrote to Bayada nurses when they asked the same question:
This is in response to your letter of June 26, addressed to Dorothy Strunk, Acting Assistant Secretary, regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.1030, "Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens."
You state that your company, Bayada Nurses, a home health care agency, has identified employees who are at risk of occupational exposure and has provided information and training about hepatitis B as well as offered the vaccine to all of those employees. Your concern, however, is that other employers similar to Bayada are not providing training or the vaccinations to their home health aids because they are at "low risk"; you therefore asked for an interpretation of the requirements. According to your letter, it is your company's understanding "that the law states that the training and the offer to vaccinate must occur prior to a potential exposure incident, even if the risk is low." Your understanding is correct.
The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires that every employer perform an exposure determination as part of his or her exposure control plan. This determination must delineate the job classifications or specific tasks and procedures an employee may perform which constitute occupational exposure. "Occupational exposure" is defined in the standard as "reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee's duties." Those employees with occupational exposure are covered by all requirements of the standard.
As you know, OSHA has jurisdiction over employee safety and health and its applicable regulations cover all employers, regardless of the work setting. OSHA has identified and cited some residential care providers who are not in compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, and we intend to continue our enforcement of this standard.
I hope this helps answer your question and if you need further guidance please feel free to contact any of the knowledgeable staff of Quality America at 1-800-946-9956.
Posted by Quality America on February 11, 2008 | Comments (0)
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