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Allied Health: Articles of Interest Stay up-to-date on needlestick safety
regulations According to the Medical Group Management Association, over 80% of the fines and citations issued by OSHA over the last 18 months have involved the Needlestick Safety Act. However, many physician offices are not aware this new legislation even exists, even though the law was passed in November 2000. This Act applies to all employers who have employees with reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. These employers must implement the applicable requirements set forth in the standard. Some of the new and clarified provisions in the standard apply only to health care activities, but some of the provisions, particularly the requirements to update the Exposure Control Plan and to keep a sharps injury log, will apply to non-health care as well as health care activities. Needlestick safety provisions Specifically, the statute requires use of "sharps with engineered sharps injury protections." These are defined as "a non-needle sharp or needle device used for withdrawing body fluids, accessing a vein or artery, or administering medications or other fluids with a built-in safety feature or mechanism that effectively reduces the risk of an exposure incident." Such facilities will also be required to maintain a sharps injury log. It will be more detailed than the OSHA 200 injury log, and unlike that log, the sharps log shall be recorded and maintained to protect the confidentiality of the injured employee. It also requires the employer to record the type and brand of the device involved in the accident, the work area or department where it occurred and an explanation of how the incident occurred. An employer is also required to involve health care workers in the selection of safer sharps technologies and to document that involvement in the Exposure Control Plan. Nearly 10 years have passed since the bloodborne pathogens standard was published. Since then, many different medical devices have been developed to reduce the risk of needlesticks and other sharps injuries. These devices replace sharps with non-needle devices or incorporate safety features designed to reduce injury. Despite these advances in technology, needlesticks and other sharps injuries continue to be of concern due to the high frequency of their occurrence and the severity of the health effects. The revision to OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard added new requirements for employers, including additions to the exposure control plan and keeping a sharps injury log. It does not impose new requirements for employers to protect workers from sharps injuries; the original standard already required employers to adopt engineering and work practice controls that would eliminate or minimize employee exposure from hazards associated with bloodborne pathogens. The revision does, however, specify in greater detail the engineering controls, such as safer medical devices, which must be used to reduce or eliminate worker exposure. The Exposure Control Plan
No one medical device is considered appropriate or effective for all circumstances. Employee input Employers are required to document, in the Exposure Control Plan, how they received input from employees. Recordkeeping Sharps with Engineered Sharps Injury Protections This description covers a broad array of devices, including:
"Needleless Systems" is a new term defined as devices which provide an alternative to needles for various procedures to reduce the risk of injury involving contaminated sharps. Reed Tinsley is a CPA health care consultant located in Houston, TX. He may be reached at (281)379-5988 or at reedt@rtacpa.com. |
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© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
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