5 Key Areas OSHA Will Be Focusing on During Healthcare Facilities Inspections

Nurse Outside with 2 Elderly PatientsOSHA will now be focusing on five specific areas when inspecting healthcare facilities. These facilities include hospitals, nursing homes, and long term care facilities.

  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Workplace violence
  • Musculoskeletal disorders relating to patient or resident handling
  • Tuberculosis
  • Bloodborne pathogens

According to a statement from OSHA, inpatient healthcare facilities have consistently shown high health and safety hazards with the above areas.  However, OSHA is not limiting these inspections to the above factors. They will continue to look at exposure to hazardous chemicals, safe patient handling and other hazards. These dangers lead to preventable injuries and illnesses. OSHA feels that this program will help to reduce the number of unnecessary exposures to healthcare facility employees.

According to CarePathways.com, Pinellas County has more nursing homes than any other county in Florida with a total of 71. The closest second is Miami Dade with 54. This number does not include hospitals or assisted living facilities. With such a large concentration of facilities, in such a small area, Pinellas county makes a great place for site inspections.

An excellent safety program along with ongoing employee training is the best way to prepare for this type of inspection. Our risk management team can help you develop and manage your safety program. If you already have one in place, our team will be able to review and suggest improvements. Contact us today to learn more about the risk management tools that we provide.



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