healthcare worker safety

An alternative solution to the N95 respirator shortage

Safety veteran discusses PPE crisis

May 27, 2020

Claudio Dente is a 40-year veteran of the safety industry, and he’s never seen anything like the crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a matter of months it’s wreaked havoc with the PPE market.

Caring for our caregivers during COVID-19 pandemic

Karen Smith

May 7, 2020

Healthcare workers face many challenges in their job and the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the amount of pressure that they face. It’s important that employers provide the right equipment and support to help their staff get through these uncertain times. Lone healthcare workers often conduct in-home visits to patients without supervision.

OHS experts clarify misinformation on COVID-19 PPE, ventilation, disinfection

April 17, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, so does misinformation on PPE, decontamination and indoor air quality. These misunderstandings are putting healthcare workers and the general public at even greater risk.

Master Lock providing healthcare facilities with free smart locks to protect PPE amid COVID-19

March 25, 2020

As testing for COVID-19 increases, so does the need for health care workers to wear critical PPE to treat patients. To help fellow healthcare providers and facilities, Master Lock announced they are offering healthcare facilities and providers a free smart lock or lock box to secure critical PPE.

High-Reliability Operations emphasis error management

High-Reliability Operations emphasize error management

A system of checks & balances

Dr John Kello

August 1, 2019

What is a High Reliability Organization? The work is highly technical and complex, operators require a high level of technical training and certification, and the consequences of error can be catastrophic. Hence, “it has to be done right every time.”

OSHA, NJ med center reach workplace violence agreement

June 5, 2017

OSHA and one of the nation’s largest public hospitals have resolved litigation by reaching an agreement that requires the center to enhance its efforts to prevent violence in the workplace. In 2014, OSHA notified the Bergen Regional Medical Center L.P., in Paramus that employees were exposed to hazardous conditions associated with workplace violence and that it had not developed or implemented adequate measures to protect workers from assaults.

Surgery can bring smoke exposure for healthcare workers

February 17, 2017

A recent survey of healthcare workers found that certain surgical procedures often lack ventilation that removes surgical smoke at its source, according to researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Residents’ long hours may be reinstated

February 7, 2017

A proposal to roll back work hour limits for medical residents has drawn an angry response from safety advocates, who say longer hours lead to more errors, endangering the safety of both residents and the patients they care for.

NIOSH-certified respirator mask remains most popular in healthcare

January 25, 2017

Now that flu season is officially here, we may feel heightened concern about the cause of our coworker’s, friend’s, or elevator mate’s cough. For healthcare workers, this seasonal concern is of year-round importance.

Data-driven approach may reduce violence to hospital workers

January 19, 2017

A worksite intervention using unit-level data on violent events can lead to lower risks of patient-to-worker violence and injury to hospital staff, suggests a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).