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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

OSHA has taken the first steps in rulemaking on a possible standard to prevent workplace violence in healthcare and social assistance settings. The agency has issued a Request for Information on whether to propose such a standard and has scheduled a public meeting on Jan. 10, 2017, in Washington, D.C., to discuss strategies for reducing incidents of violence in these workplaces.

After receiving a complaint about employees at a Pennsylvania health care facility being exposed to workplace violence, OSHA enforcement personnel found that hazard along with potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

In healthcare, workers wear filtering facepiece respirators as protection against inhaling infectious particles such as viruses and bacteria, but safe use does not end with putting on, or donning, the respirator.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released its 2016 list of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings, updating the list to include 34 added drugs. Healthcare workers who prepare or give hazardous drugs to patients, such as those used for cancer therapy, as well as support staff may face individual health risks when exposed to these drugs.