NIOSH has updated their list of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs, which is included as an appendix to their Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drug in Healthcare Settings Alert.
Are flammable liquids being dispensed at your facility? If so, are proper bonding and grounding procedures in place? OSHA’s requirements for bonding and grounding of flammable liquids can be found in 29 CFR 1910.106.
On September 11, 2014, OSHA issued new requirements for reporting severe injuries and fatalities, which will go into effect on January 1, 2015. The list of industries exempt from routine injury and illness record-keeping requirements was also updated.
As I am sure you are aware by now, September has been designated as National Biosafety Stewardship Month by the NIH, and The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memo requesting a “a government-wide ‘safety stand-down’”.
September 5th was a NIOSH-approved holiday, N95 Day! If you are an employee that participates in a N95 respiratory protection program, hopefully you were able to participate in N95 Day to learn more about N95 filtering facepiece respirators.
In accordance with various regulations, many facilities require EHS training for all new employees upon hire and annually thereafter. It is great to have an established and informative training program in place, but do you remember to inform your employees of new hazards introduced into the workplace?
Medical and biological waste is regulated in Massachusetts by 105 CMR 480, Minimum Requirements for the Management of Medical or Biological Waste. Make sure your facility is managing and tracking waste in compliance with the State Sanitary Code.
All employees should be thoroughly familiar with the emergency response procedures established for your facility. In addition to training and emergency information being posted, have you considered developing a ‘bail out binder’ to take with you in the event of an evacuation?
OSHA requires employers to provide their employees with working conditions that are free of known dangers. This includes providing work environments that are free of ergonomic hazards.
It is important to keep your Emergency Action Plan or Contingency Plan up to date. Don’t wait for the plan to fail in an emergency situation before you update it.
Did you know that approximately 33 percent of people exposed to laboratory animals as part of their job develop symptoms of allergies? And, about 10 percent of exposed individuals have symptoms of animal-induced asthma?
If you are conducting internal laboratory audits, how do you handle the findings? Once internal lab audits are implemented, the appropriate approach to handling the findings needs to established.
