OSHA Complacent or Compliant?
“The dental community has been in the crosshairs after the recent events surrounding the Tulsa, Oklahoma oral surgeon. When Dr. Scott Harrington was asked about sterilization and drug procedures in his two offices, he simply replied, ‘My staff takes care of that; I don’t.’ According to OSHA, not knowing is simply not an acceptable answer. Don’t be confused or complacent when complying with OSHA regulations” (Baker). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the standard for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, or deaths (Baker). When taking a look at some of OSHA’s regulations pertinent to the dental community, they include but are not limited to: bloodborne pathogens, a written exposure …show more content…
The first element is setting a written exposure control plan in place. This written exposure control plan lays out each duty where a blood exposure could occur and must be updated annually and more often as necessary (Baker). This exposure control plan is to be made available upon request to an employee or to OSHA (Baker). Each clinician should put into practice standard precautions which means treating all patient’s body fluids as if they were contaminated with an infectious disease; this way, there will be no question as to what procedure to follow, they will already be put into practice with each patient. Under taking these precautions, other simple, yet vital practices, such as handwashing, procedures for handling needles, prohibiting eating and drinking, and applying lip balm are also other ways of promoting safety in the workplace where bloodborne pathogens may be present (Baker).
The second element to comply with is ensuring that each employee who may be at risk to some type of exposure is thoroughly donned with the proper personal protective equipment. “For the dental community, the proper personal protective equipment includes: a facemask, eye protection with side shields, medical exam gloves, and a lab gown.” OSHA uses the CDC guidelines for this element (Baker). Each employee should be trained on how to properly wear each piece, understand the importance of each piece, and …show more content…
As the article states, OSHA clearly lays out each element to keep a safe workplace environment. Risking exposure to harmful bloodborne pathogens as well as other potentially infectious material can be avoided when putting OSHA’s standards into practice. With all that OSHA lays out, there should be no reason that each employer and employee should not fully understand how to keep a healthy and safe workplace. Exposures are a real occurrence and are not something to play with. Being completely compliant with OSHA’s regulations and standards are the way to go. “Why take risks when you don’t need to? OSHA is not a land far, far away, nor is it something to be afraid of”
“The dental community has been in the crosshairs after the recent events surrounding the Tulsa, Oklahoma oral surgeon. When Dr. Scott Harrington was asked about sterilization and drug procedures in his two offices, he simply replied, ‘My staff takes care of that; I don’t.’ According to OSHA, not knowing is simply not an acceptable answer. Don’t be confused or complacent when complying with OSHA regulations” (Baker). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the standard for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, or deaths (Baker). When taking a look at some of OSHA’s regulations pertinent to the dental community, they include but are not limited to: bloodborne pathogens, a written exposure …show more content…
The first element is setting a written exposure control plan in place. This written exposure control plan lays out each duty where a blood exposure could occur and must be updated annually and more often as necessary (Baker). This exposure control plan is to be made available upon request to an employee or to OSHA (Baker). Each clinician should put into practice standard precautions which means treating all patient’s body fluids as if they were contaminated with an infectious disease; this way, there will be no question as to what procedure to follow, they will already be put into practice with each patient. Under taking these precautions, other simple, yet vital practices, such as handwashing, procedures for handling needles, prohibiting eating and drinking, and applying lip balm are also other ways of promoting safety in the workplace where bloodborne pathogens may be present (Baker).
The second element to comply with is ensuring that each employee who may be at risk to some type of exposure is thoroughly donned with the proper personal protective equipment. “For the dental community, the proper personal protective equipment includes: a facemask, eye protection with side shields, medical exam gloves, and a lab gown.” OSHA uses the CDC guidelines for this element (Baker). Each employee should be trained on how to properly wear each piece, understand the importance of each piece, and …show more content…
As the article states, OSHA clearly lays out each element to keep a safe workplace environment. Risking exposure to harmful bloodborne pathogens as well as other potentially infectious material can be avoided when putting OSHA’s standards into practice. With all that OSHA lays out, there should be no reason that each employer and employee should not fully understand how to keep a healthy and safe workplace. Exposures are a real occurrence and are not something to play with. Being completely compliant with OSHA’s regulations and standards are the way to go. “Why take risks when you don’t need to? OSHA is not a land far, far away, nor is it something to be afraid of”