OSHA and Healthcare Facilities
Course #31234 - $30 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Death and disability due to unsafe or unhealthy workplaces remain ongoing issues in the United States. In 2021, there were 2.6 million job-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the private sector alone. OSHA standards are in place in order to minimize the risks associated with various workplaces, and there are standards in place that uniquely affect healthcare facilities. Bloodborne pathogen compliance, waste management, tuberculosis control, and the ergonomics regulations are all examples of OSHA's impact. This course will outline specific OSHA guidelines for a safe healthcare workplace.
- INTRODUCTION
- HISTORY OF OSHA
- BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS
- TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL
- OSHA AND EMPLOYEE HEALTH
- SAFETY/RISK MANAGEMENT
- SAFETY DATA SHEETS/HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
- HAZARDOUS WASTE
- RADIATION
- CHEMICAL AND BLOOD SPILLS
- FIRE SAFETY
- INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
- ERGONOMICS
- LATEX ALLERGY AND GLOVE MANAGEMENT
- TRAINING AND EDUCATION
- LEGAL ISSUES
- SURVEYS, COMPLIANCE, AND DOCUMENTATION
- GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS
- RESOURCES
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This course is designed for healthcare staff in all specialties.
The purpose of this course is to provide information that will allow facilities to more easily comply with the broad spectrum of rules covered by the OSHA regulations.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Explain the history of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
- Describe the purpose of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard as it applies to the healthcare setting.
- Review the role of OSHA standards in preventing tuberculosis (TB) transmission.
- Explain the impact of OSHA regulations on employee health, including risk management and safety issues in a healthcare setting.
- Discuss hazardous materials and waste management in a healthcare facility.
- Explain the necessity for radiation safety in healthcare facilities.
- Describe the process of handling blood and chemical spills.
- Outline the impact of fire safety on patients and employees in the healthcare facility.
- Discuss indoor air quality, ergonomics, and latex allergy concerns in healthcare facilities.
- Discuss legal issues and employee safety as applied to the healthcare facility.
- Describe what might occur during an OSHA consultation and inspection.
Carol Shenold, RN, ICP, graduated from St. Paul’s Nursing School, Dallas, Texas, achieving her diploma in nursing. Over the past thirty years she has worked in hospital nursing in various states in the areas of obstetrics, orthopedics, intensive care, surgery and general medicine.
Mrs. Shenold served as the Continuum of Care Manager for Vencor Oklahoma City, coordinating quality review, utilization review, Case Management, Infection Control, and Quality Management. During that time, the hospital achieved Accreditation with Commendation with the Joint Commission, with a score of 100.
Mrs. Shenold was previously the Infection Control Nurse for Deaconess Hospital, a 300-bed acute care facility in Oklahoma City. She is an active member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). She worked for the Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality for six years.
Contributing faculty, Carol Shenold, RN, ICP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sharon Cannon, RN, EdD, ANEF
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.