|
 Each
month we pose a new OSHA compliance question in our OSHA
Watch Newsletter. Below is the Nov/Dec
2005 Question of the Month. (Not an
OSHA Watch subscriber? Click
here for a sneak preview of our OSHA Watch
Newsletter and subscribe in time for our next issue!)
November/December
2005 Question of the Month:
How do we discard spilled mercury?
Check
back for the answer to the November/December
2005 Question of the
Month
in the upcoming January/February 2006 OSHA
Watch Newsletter.
2005
Question (and Answer) of the Month
Jan/Feb
Question of the Month: Do we have
to retest employees annually for TB?
Answer:
Not
unless your workpalce is classified as "medium"
risk, (i.e., you had more than three TB patients enter your
facility in the last year). If your workplace is classified
as "low" risk, annual employee TB testing is not
needed. Stay tuned for additional guidance on this issue
once the new CDC TB Guildelines are finalized.
March/April
Question of the Month: How should
eye goggles be disinfected?
Answer:
Without
specific manufacturer’s instructions, don utility gloves
and clean with a hospital-level disinfectant. Another way
to clean blood and potentially infectious fluids off of reusable
protective equipment is to make a 10% solution of household
bleach and soak the item in it for 10 minutes. Then rinse
with tap water and air dry.
May/June
Question of the Month: Must
gloves be worn when giving injections?
Answer: The
bloodborne pathogens standard requires glove use whenever
it’s reasonable to anticipate hand contact with blood or other
potentially infectious body fluids, such as when performing
vascular access procedures. Surprisingly, OSHA’s 11/05/99
Compliance Directive says: “Gloves are usually not necessary
when administering intramuscular or subcutaneous injections
as long as bleeding that could result in hand contact with
blood or OPIM is not anticipated.”
Bottom
Line: The OSHA Experts at Quality America usually don’t interpret
the regs more stringently than OSHA does, but in this case
we beg to differ. Since most healthcare workers aren’t clairvoyant
and can’t predict when a drop of blood will be on the skin
when the needle is withdrawn, we recommend wearing gloves
for any kind of injection. If you’re in OSHA’s camp, please
reply to sdunn@charter.net
and let us know why. If we hear from you, we’ll pass
along your comments (anonymously if you wish) in the next
issue of OSHA Watch.
Source:
http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshDoc/Directive_data/CPL_2-2_44D.html
July/August
Question of the Month: Which
lab tests for HBV, HCV and HIV should be ordered after a needlestick?
Answer:
Order
these tests for the source patient:
•
Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
•
Antibody to HIV (anti-HIV)
•
Antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV)
If
the source patient tests negative for HBV, HCV & HIV,
there is no need to test the exposed employee. If the source
patient tests positive for HBV, HCV and/or HIV, or if the
source patient is unknown or refuses testing, order the lab
tests listed below.
If
the source patient is positive for:
•
Hepatitis B, order HbsAg test for employees who are not
immune. No
testing
is required for immune employees.
•
Hepatitis C, order Anti HCV and ALT tests. Repeat in 4-6
months and at
12
months HIV,
order Anti HIV test. Repeat at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6
months,
and 12 months or anytime illness occurs that resembles HIV
infection.
September/October
2005 Question of the Month:
Are physician offices subject to OSHA’s lockout/tagout regulations?
Answer:
No.
OSHA’s lockout/tagout regulations protect employees from electric
shock from hardwired equipment (i.e., equipment where the
electrical cord cannot be removed from an outlet and is under
the control of the person servicing the equipment).
2004
Question (and Answer) of the Month
(click
here)
2003
Question (and Answer) of the Month Archives
(click
here)
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For additional information on:
Post Exposure Follow-up When Source
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