Quality America OSHA Watch
Transcription
Quality America OSHA Watch
OSHAWatch U P D A T CDC Coughs Up New TB Guidelines Bottom line: you must comply with the new CDC TB Guidelines when they are finalized. T he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revised their TB Guidelines, last updated in 1997. The 269-page tome, issued in draft form, is on the fast track to becoming a final, official Guideline. Once finalized, it will constitute the official U.S. Public Health Guidelines. Does OSHA Mandate Compliance? OSHA dropped their controversial TB rule last year and issued a Respiratory Protection Standard. Meant to include TB, it is not very applicable for ambulatory medical and dental facilities. For this reason, outpatient facilities have continued to follow the CDC Guidelines since OSHA can cite an ambulatory medical facility for not following the latest US Public Health Guidelines. Bottom line: you must comply with the new CDC TB Guidelines when they are finalized. Assuming the draft Guidelines don’t undergo further changes before they are finalized, here’s a snapshot of the major differences you can expect to see: • A new annual risk assessment form classifies workplaces into one of three TB risk categories: low risk, medium risk and a temporary category for current TB transmission in a facility (Pg 2, Table 1). E S March/April 2005 Volume 7, No.2 Inside: CDC Coughs up New TB Guidelines...............1 Mask up for Flu....................3 Question of the Month ..........5 In the News...........................6 Q: I used to work in a hospital lab where we had a safety shower. I now work in a doctor’s office lab and am wondering if we need one. Ask the Expert.......................8 2004 OSHA Violations .......10 Answer to the Last Question of the Month ........11 Update: Important Quality America OSHA Safety Program Manual update! We’ve revised Tab 3 to include First Aid. Please go to: www.osha-compliance.com and click “OSHA Safety Program Manual updates.” • The new Guidelines replace the term continued on next page We Make Compliance Easy! 1 CDC Coughs Up New TB Guidelines “PPD” (purified protein derivative) with “tuberculin skin test”(TST). • A new blood test, the QuantiFERONTB, becomes an option for screening healthcare workers (HCWs) for TB infection. Editor’s Note: OSHA Watch staff could not find this test on the menus of the two top referral laboratories in the US, so its availability is limited. Ambulatory medical settings without designated isolation rooms (i.e., with HEPA filtration and/or UV lights), must segregate suspected TB patients from employees and other patients before they are transferred to another facility for testing and treatment. • The new Guidelines require HCWs to seal-check, then don N-95 masks, when in close proximity to a suspected TB patient. • Clarifies that ongoing TB skin test New information screening for HCWs in low risk work places is not needed. Decreases to once annually rescreening for medium risk facilities (Table 2). about multi-drug • Includes some new terms: “airborne resistant TB and HIV infection infection isolation” (AII) and “latent TB infection” (LTBI). Those with LTBI have a positive TB skin test, but do not have active TB. has been • Requires patients with suspected TB to don surgical masks, or if that is impossible, that they practice strict respiratory hygiene (see poster, pg. 3). included. • New information about multi-drug resistant TB and HIV infection has been included. All of these changes require a complete overhaul of the TB policies (Tab 6) in your OSHA Safety Program Manual. The staff at Quality America will totally rewrite Tab 6 for you once the CDC finalizes the draft Guidelines (comments were due back to CDC by February 3, 2005, and CDC is expected to quickly issue final Guidelines). We’ll update you further on this in the May/June issue of OSHA Watch, or, if the Guidelines aren’t final by that time, in a future issue of OSHA Watch. Table 1. Draft Risk Assessment for Ambulatory Medical and Dental Facilities Low risk Medium risk Potential ongoing transmission <3 TB patients/year >3 TB patients/year Evidence of ongoing M. tuberculosis transmission, regardless of setting Table 2. Draft Recommendations for Tuberculin Skin Testing (TST) Healthcare Workers Low risk Medium risk Potential ongoing transmission Baseline TST Yes, 2-step upon hire Yes, 2-step upon hire Yes, 2-step upon hire Ongoing screening TST Every 12 months Administer one TST as soon as possible after exposure to M. tuberculosis. If negative, re-test 8–10 weeks after exposure. No Source: Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, 2005. Go to: www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/Federal_Register/default.htm, Dec. 6, 2004 2 www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 Mask Up For Flu Patients, Too F lu is transmitted just like TB: by droplets generated when an infected person coughs, speaks or sneezes. Those with the flu can transmit it one day before symptoms appear and up to seven days after the onset of illness. If your employees come within about three feet of a coughing, sneezing person, they can become infected. • Wear a gown if soiling of clothes with Protecting Your Staff The best line of defense against flu is vaccination, but only about 30% of healthcare workers are vaccinated annually. To prevent non-immunized workers from being infected on the job, CDC suggests that staff: Evaluate staff who demonstrate an influenza-like illness and perform rapid influenza tests to confirm whether the causative agent is influenza. Then, decide whether or not to remove them from duties that involve direct patient contact, especially with immunocompromised patients. If removed, do not let them provide patient care for five days after the onset of symptoms. continued on next page • Wear gloves if hand contact with respiratory secretions or potentially contaminated surfaces is anticipated. a patient’s respiratory secretions is anticipated. If your employees come • Wear a surgical or procedure mask upon entering the patient’s room or when working within three feet of the patient. Remove the mask when leaving the patient’s room and dispose of the mask in a waste container. within about three feet of a coughing, sneezing person, they can become infected. Source: Respiratory poster. Go to: www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/pdfs/RespiratoryPoster.pdf OSHA Watch Update March/April 2005 3 unwilling to don Organize Your Reception Area to Minimize Respiratory Disease Transmission: • Hang signs or posters (see pgs. 3 & 4) instructing patients and persons who accompany them to inform staff if they have symptoms of respiratory infection. a mask, they • Locate tissues or masks directly under If a patient is these signs so patients and visitors who are coughing or sneezing can cover their nose and mouth. should practice strict respiratory • Provide dispensers of alcohol-based hand rubs in waiting areas. etiquette Stop the spread of germs that make you and others sick! • Encourage coughing persons to sit at least three feet away from others, if possible. • If a patient is unwilling to don a mask, they should practice strict respiratory etiquette (see etiquette below). Cough Etiquette/ Respiratory Hygiene • Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Cover your Cough Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. • Use tissues to contain respiratory secretions and, after use, dispose of them in the nearest wastebasket. • Wash hands with regular soap and water (or alcohol hand rubs) after contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. You may be asked to put on a surgical mask to protect others. Clean your Hands after coughing or sneezing. Sources: Wash with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. Minnesota Department of Health 717 SE Delaware Street Minneapolis, MN 55414 612-676-5414 or 1-877-676-5414 www.health.state.mn.us Minnesota Antibiotic Resistance Collaborative Updated Infection Control Measures for the Prevention and Control of Influenza in HealthCare Facilities. January 20, 2005. Go to: www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/ infectioncontrol/healthcarefacilities.htm Go to: www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/ labdiagnosis.htmhttp Source: Cover your Cough poster. Go to: www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/pdf/covercough_hcp8-5x11.pdf 4 www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 CLOSE TO HOME ©2004 John McPherson. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All Rights Reserved. One Last Chance Quality America invites all TN, NC & SC office managers, office staff & physicians to join us at our live filming début of… Dr. Dunn Live! OSHA Annual Re-training Seminar Asheville, NC March 23, 2005 Call: 1-800-946-9956 Limited seating For more information on sharps injury prevention products visit ISIPS, the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society at www.isips.org. To receive a free weekly newsletter on the latest information on needlestick injuries, hepatitis, HIV, etc., sign up for the ISIPS Newsletter by going to www.isips.org/ registration.html. OSHA Watch Update March/April 2005 Q QUESTION of the month How should eye goggles be disinfected? Find out in the next edition of Quality America’s OSHA Watch Updates 5 N-95 TB Respirators: Photo provided by Kimberly-Clark in the NEWS 6 Uncle Sam Nixes Fit-testing for TB Masks in June 2003. Prior to that, he was in private law practice in Texas. Tucked away deep in a 2005 domestic agency spending bill is a provision that prohibits OSHA from enforcing annual fit-testing for N-95 TB respirators. President Bush signed the bill December 9, 2004 which states that “no funds shall be used to administer or enforce the provisions of the General Industry Respiratory Protection Standard that require annual fit-testing after the initial fit-testing of respirators for occupational exposure to TB.” Explanatory text that accompanied the bill advised OSHA to wait until the CDC completes the draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings 2005. Currently, these Guidelines do not require annual fit testing. Editor’s Note: See related story in this issue of OSHA Watch. Patient Knifes Nurse OSHA Snares New Chief Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, announced the resignation of OSHA Administrator, John Henshaw, effective Dec. 31, 2004. Under Henshaw, OSHA discontinued the TB regulation and introduced a new General Respiratory Protection Standard. He will mostly be remembered for leading OSHA’s homeland defense efforts by assisting police, firefighters, and volunteers in the aftermath of the terrorist bombings of September 11, 2001. Henshaw also developed specialized response teams to address chemical, biological, radiological, and other types of attacks, such as natural disasters. Henshaw admitted disappointment and frustration over continuing worker fatalities and in the difficulty of getting employers to see the value in compliance. Henshaw is replaced by Jonathan L. Snare who joined the U.S. Department of Labor An 80-year old patient stabbed a nurse in the back with his pocketknife at Bons Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA. Reportedly, the patient became enraged when leaving the recovery room after foot surgery. To keep him from falling, the nurse grabbed the patient’s arm. Immediately after, she felt a blow to her back, which was later discovered to be a puncture in her lung from the pocket knife. Security officers eventually calmed the patient and took him to jail, where he subsequently received five years of supervised probation. Editor’s Note: We hear stories too often of attacks by patients on healthcare workers. Be sure your employees receive training about how best to react to angry people and how to minimize the chance of anger escalating to violence. Quality America offers an Online Training course, Preventing Workplace Violence. For more information, visit: www.quality-america.com. www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 OSHA Debuts New Webpage OSHA unveiled its newest Safety and Health Topics page focusing on chemical hazards. Check it out at www.osha. gov/SLTC/reactivechemicals/. Best Practices for First Receivers in Mass Casualties Looking to develop emergency plans for worst-case scenarios? OSHA’s new “Best Practices” can serve as a template to help you protect staff while receiving and treating victims exposed to hazardous chemical, biological or radiological substances. Derived from emergency plans developed by hospitals across the U.S., “Best Practices” includes practical examples of decontamination procedures and medical monitoring for first receivers who respond to a mass casualty incident. Source: OSHA Best Practices for HospitalBased First Receivers of Victims from Mass Casualty Incidents Involving the Release of Hazardous Substances. Go to: www.osha.gov/ dts/osta/bestpractices/firstreceivers_hospital. html Sources: 1.Press Release, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). November 17, 2004. 2. ASHE study. Go to: www.ashe.org/ashe/ currentevent/abhi.html Long Shifts Boost Errors In previous In the News columns, we’ve reported on studies linking long hours logged by medical residents to medical errors. (Since July, 2003, medical residents have been restricted from working more than 30-hours straight or 80-hours per week, but not all hospitals are complying with the new restrictions—Editor’s note). Not surprisingly, nurses who work long shifts also have higher error rates. As many as 40% of all hospital nursing shifts exceed 12 hours, and these workers have error rates three times as high as their counterparts who clock in for shorter shifts. The odds of making an error are also greater whenever nurses work more than 40 hours in a week. Most errors involve medication, such as giving the wrong drug or dose or giving the medication later than scheduled. Source: CNN News, July 12, 2004 Alcohol Cleansers in Exit Corridors? Don’t Wear Rubber Charity Bracelets to the Hospital! It’s now okay to hang alcohol-based hand rubs in exit corridors. In fact, a new regulation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) promotes rather than prohibits the practice, since convenient access to alcohol-based hand rubs results in better hand hygiene compliance. The National Fire Protection Agency had already modified their codes to permit hallway placement, based on a study by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) which showed minimal risk of fire from hallway placement of alcohol-based hand rubs. While the familiar yellow LiveStrong bracelets are the most popular, rubber wristbands of every color are worn by over 40 million Americans in all 50 states. People sport pink bands for breast cancer, red bands to support US troops, white for tsunami victims, purple for cancer research and almost every other color of the rainbow to support a particular cause. But in some hospitals, a yellow or purple band means “do not resuscitate” and a green or red band could indicate that the patient has an allergy. These bands could confuse staff, especially in a highly-charged code-blue-type situation. There have been several reports of near misses due to these bracelets and one where a patient was not resuscitated due to wearing a LiveStrong bracelet. OSHA Watch Update March/April 2005 The odds of making an error are also greater whenever nurses work more than 40 hours in a week. 7 Q Custom Kits, Sharps Containers, Cleaning Whirlpools, Safety Showers, Evacuation Route Maps Q: Our custom kits come packaged with sharps that are not the safety version. Is this a valid exemption for not using safety needles? ask the A: Custom kits with pre-packaged unprotected sharps violate OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, so order custom kits that contain the safety needles your employees have chosen. If you have several kits in stock containing non-safe needles, supplement each kit with a protected sharp by, for example, taping the protected sharp to the outside of the kit; and require employees to use it when they open the kit. EXPERT Q: I disagree with the answer you gave to last issue’s Question of the Month, listing the areas where sharps containers should NOT be placed (backs of room doors, near light switches and thermostats, under cabinets, etc.). Where in the OSHA regulations does it say this? Dr. Sheila Dunn A: OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard [1910.1030(d)(4)(iii)(A)(2)] says that sharps containers must be: • easily accessible to personnel, • located as close as is feasible to the immediate area where sharps are used or can be reasonably anticipated to be found, • maintained upright through use, • replaced routinely and not be allowed to overfill. Note how vague OSHA’s standard is! What does “easilyaccessible” mean? How close is “feasible”? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 8 (NIOSH) comes to the rescue by providing specifics for exactly how to meet OSHA’s standard. For instance, instead of “located as close as feasible,” NIOSH specifies that sharps containers be placed within a few feet of where the sharp is used in a particular procedure. NIOSH also recommends that, wall-mounted, sharps containers be hung 52-56 inches off the floor. Bottom line: OSHA relies on outside agencies (e.g., CDC, NIOSH, ANSI, etc.) for these types of specifics since it takes an act of Congress (literally) for OSHA to update their standards. These agencies can update their recommendations as often as needed. Source: Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. January 1998. Atlanta, Georgia. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-111. Go to: www.cdc.gov/niosh/sharps1.html Q: One of our employees keeps a handful of gloves in her pocket to use whenever the need arises. I think that gloves should be kept in the box until needed. The alternative seems non-hygienic in practice. What’s your opinion? A: I agree with you that gloves shouldn’t be carried in workers’ pockets since they could be punctured, or exposed to heat or cold, which could cause deterioration. Q: Can you throw out a biohazard bag that was used to transport a specimen but was not contaminated by the specimen, with the regular trash or does it need to be treated and disposed of as a true biohazard? www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 answer A: Since it isn’t contaminated, it could be thrown out with the regular trash, according to OSHA. With that said, however, I don't recommend it, because the biohazard label connotes the message “contaminated” to employees and patients, so they will be concerned if they see biohazard bags in your regular trash. This could elicit complaints and might bring OSHA to your door (which you definitely don’t want to happen!). Hazard Communication Standard, which does not require showers (only eyewashes). If your lab uses or stores large amounts of hazardous chemicals, (hematology reagents don’t apply here), then you are subject to the Chemical Hygiene Standard and need a safety shower. If that is the case, check the shower weekly for proper functioning. OSHA Q: We will soon be opening four new locations and need to know where to post evacuation routes. Do we need to post them in every room or only certain places in the hallway? doesn’t specify where to post evacuation routes Q: I used to work in a hospital lab where we had a safety shower. I now work in a doctor’s office lab and am wondering if we need one. A: Labs that use bulk chemicals must have a safety shower to comply with OSHA’s Chemical Hygiene Standard. Physician office labs usually don’t buy chemicals in bulk, and are subject only to OSHA’s OSHA Watch Update March/April 2005 A: OSHA doesn’t specify where to post evacuation routes nor how far apart to space them. In typical OSHA fashion, the Agency says: “evacuation routes and exits are posted in the workplace and are easily accessible to all employees”. Some medical practices hang them in every exam room and some in one central location. The bottom line is that your employees know the best way to get out of the building in the event of a fire or emergency, so including this information as part of your employee orientation training and providing Exit signage in all hallways would decrease the number of evacuation maps that need to be hung. For more information, refer to page 3-16 in your OSHA Safety Program Manual. Remember, facilities with less than 11 employees do not need to post evacuation routes. nor how far apart to space them. 9 2004 OSHA Violations Those who follow Quality America’s OSHA Safety Program Manual need not worry; all of these standards are covered in detail! O SHA inspectors were busy last year, citing US workplaces for 86,708 violations. Citations were up 3.8% over 2003 and 9.5% over the last five years. Serious violations were up 3% in 2004 over 2003, while the number of willful violations increased 14% over the same time period. Called the “Dirty Dozen,” OSHA also published its top 12 violations for 2004, most of which do not apply to healthcare facilities. OSHA standards that do apply to medical and dental workplaces were lack of HazCom training, incomplete first aid and eyewash facilities, and lack of MSDS for hazardous chemicals. The most frequently violated standard in general industry was failure to have a written OSHA INSPECTION STATISTICS Quality America’s OSHA Safety Program Manual safety program (Hazardous Chemical Standard). Those who follow Quality America’s OSHA Safety Program Manual need not worry; all of these standards are covered in detail! FY2000 FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 Total Inspections 36,555 35,974 37,614 39,817 39,167 Total Programmed Inspections 18,436 17,946 20,539 22,436 21,576 Total Unprogrammed Inspections 18,112 18,027 17,075 17,381 17,590 Fatality Investigations 1,195 1,130 1,134 1,021 1,060 Complaints 8,441 8,374 7,896 7,969 8,062 Referrals 4,250 4,434 4,447 4,472 4,585 Other 4,226 4,089 3,598 3,880 3,829 OSHA VIOLATION STATISTICS FY2000 FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 Total Violations 79,206 77,893 77,633 83,539 86,708 Total Serious Violations 50,977 52,180 53,845 59,861 61,666 365 537 331 404 462 1,825 1,872 1,867 2,147 2,360 25,427 22,776 21,128 20,552 21,705 Total Willful Violations Total Repeat Violations Total Other-than-Serious Source: www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Enforcement_Activity/index.html 10 www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 Nurses Speak Out on Their Workplaces 70% cite acute and chronic effects of stress and overwork 67% work some type of mandatory or unplanned overtime every month Six Devices Cause 80% of Sharps Injuries 32% Disposable syringes 19% Suture needles 12% Winged steel needles–butterflies 60% fear a disabling back injury 45% are afraid of contracting HIV or hepatitis from a needlestick injury 37% are concerned about being infected with TB or another disease at work 25% fear an on-the-job assault 21% are apprehensive about developing a latex allergy 7% Scalpel blades 6% Intravenous (IV) catheter stylets 3% Phlebotomy needles * Overall, hollow-bore needles are responsible for 59% of all sharps injuries. Source: EpiNet Data, 2003 40% were injured on the job (including needlesticks) 17% were physically assaulted 57% were threatened or verbally abused A A N S W E R T O T H E L A S T QUESTION of the month Q: Do we have to retest employees annually for TB? Source: American Nurses Association On-line Health & Safety Survey of 4,826 nurses. August, 2001. OSHA Watch Update March/April 2005 A: Not unless your workplace 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 Guidelines are finalized. 11 OSHA Alerts: Dr. Dunn Live! Coming Soon on DVD Dr. Dunn makes OSHA Re-training CLEAR, FUN and EASY! If you’re tired of boring, irrelevant OSHA seminars in the past that simply reiterate the Federal Register… Now You Can… • Enjoy a fast, convenient and practical DVD that gives you advice about procedures to ensure worker safety. • Learn easy methods to apply in your facility in order to avoid stiff OSHA fines. • Enjoy an interactive game, Stayin’ Alive, where Dr. Dunn demonstrates and reinforces the concepts of personal protective equipment. • Review the basic universal precaution, chemical safety and respiratory precautions. • Receive over 40 pages of useful OSHA information and earn Contact Hours (2) Quality America is approved as a Provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences through the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® program. To receive breaking OSHA news, send us your name, organization, address and email to OSHA-Alert @quality-america.com. This new free service is available only to current OSHA Watch subscribers. Next Issue: • Final TB Guidelines (if available) • Substance Abuse in the Workplace Dr. Sheila Dunn, President & CEO PO Box 8787 • Asheville, NC 28814 1-800-946-9956 www.quality-america.com Subscription Rates: 1 Year – $79 / 2 Years – $145 3 Years – $199 ©2005 Quality America®, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher, Quality America®, Inc. Moved? www.quality-america.com • 1-800-946-9956 PO Box 8787 • Asheville, NC 28814 www.quality-america.com Don’t miss a single issue of Quality America’s OSHA Watch! Be sure to let us know if your practice moves or you have an address change. PRSRT FIRST CLASS U.S. Postage PAI D Permit No. 77 Boone, NC