NIOSH Publication 88-119: Guidelines for Protecting the Safety and Health of Health Care Workers

NIOSH Publication No. 88-119:

Guidelines for Protecting the Safety and Health of Health Care Workers

September 1988

Main Page
Introduction
Developing Hospital Safety and Health Programs
Recommended Guidelines for Controlling Safety Hazards in Hospitals
Recommended Guidelines for Controlling Infectious Disease Hazards in Hospitals
Recommended Guidelines for Controlling Noninfectious Health Hazards in Hospitals
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Directory Of Occupational Safety and Health Information For Hospitals
Appendices

Government Agencies and Organizations

The standard-setting and enforcement responsibilities of government agencies and private accreditation organizations are described in Section 2.4. The present section lists occupational safety and health agencies and resource organizations that may be helpful in obtaining information on hospital safety and health hazards. Most of this assistance is in the form of written materials such as individual publications, newsletters, journals, and other periodicals. Some organizations also provide consultation, education conferences, and other forms of assistance. A listing of this nature is necessarily incomplete, and NIOSH welcomes information regarding organizations and publications not listed.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

One of the main functions of NIOSH is to conduct research on workplace hazards and to develop recommendations for exposure limits and safe working procedures. Many NIOSH publications are therefore applicable to hospital hazards. All requests for information concerning NIOSH publications should be sent to the following address:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Attention: Publications Dissemination
Robert A. Taft Laboratories
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Telephone: (513) 533-8287

NIOSH regional offices are listed below:

REGION I
Regional Program Consultant,
NIOSH DHHS/PHS/Prevention -Region I
Government Center
JFK Federal Building, Room 1401
Boston, MA 022034

REGION IV
Regional Program Consultant,
NIOSH DHHS/PHS/Prevention - Region IV
101Marietta Tower, Suite 1110
Atlanta, GA 30323

REGION VlII
Regional Program Consultant,
NIOSH DHHS/PHS/Prevention - Region VlII
1961 Stout Street, Room 1185
Denver, CO 80294

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA has both State and Federal offices (see the listing at the end of this section). Twenty-three States plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have their own OSHA programs. The remaining States are covered under Federal OSHA standards.

The primary function of OSHA is to see that employers comply with the health and safety provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. OSHA should be contacted to:

Request a workplace inspection
Review records of previous inspections and citations
Obtain information on current standards

OSHA also provides employers with a free consultation service to advise them on eliminating potential workplace hazards.

Regional Offices for the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
REGION I (CT, ME, MA, NH, Rl, VT) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 16-18 North Street Boston, MA 02109	REGION VI (AR, LA, MN, OK, TX) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 525 Griffin Street Federal Building, Room 602 Dallas, TX 75202
REGION II (NY, NJ, PR, Vl) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 1515 Broadway Street, Room 3445 New York, NY 10036	REGION VII (IA, KS, MO, NE) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 911 Walnut Street, Room 406 Kansas City, MO 64106
REGION III (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV) I U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA Gateway Building, Suite 2100 3535 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104	REGION VIII (CO, UT, ND, SD, UT, WY) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA Federal Building, Room 1576 1961 Stout Street Denver, CO 80294
REGION IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 1375 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite 587 Atlanta, GA 30367	REGION IX (AZ, CA, HI, NV) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA Box 36017 450 Golden Gate Avenue, Room 11349 San Francisco, CA 94102
REGION V (IL, IN, MN, Ml, OH, WI) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 230 South Dearborn Street, Room 3244 Chicago, IL 60604	REGION X (AK, ID, OR, WA) U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA Federal Office Building, Room 6003 909 First Avenue Seattle, WA 98174

Offices for States that have OSHA-Approved State Plans
ALASKA Alaska Department of Labor P.O. Box 1149 Juneau, AK 99802	ARIZONA Occupational Safety & Health Division Industrial Commission of Arizona P.O. Box 19070 800 W. Washington Phoenix, AZ 85007
CALIFORNIA Department of Industrial Relations 525 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102	CONNECTICUT Connecticut Department of Labor 200 Folly Brook Boulevard Wethersfield, CT 06109
HAWAII Labor & Industrial Relations 825 Mililani Street Honolulu, HI 96813	INDIANA Indiana Department of Labor 1013 State Office Building 100 N. Senate Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46204
IOWA Department of Employment Services Division of Labor Services 307 E. 7th Street Des Moines, IA 50319	KENTUCKY Kentucky Labor Cabinet U.S. Highway 127 South Frankfort, KY 40601
MARYLAND Department of Licensing & Regulation Division of Labor & Industry 501 St. Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202	MICHIGAN Michigan Department of Labor 7150 Harris Drive Lansing, Ml 48909
MICHIGAN (continued) Michigan Department Of Public Health P.O. Box 30035 3500 North Logan Street Lansing, Ml 48909	MINNESOTA Department of Labor & Industry 444 Lafayette Road St. Paul, HN 55101
NEVADA Department of Occupational Safety and Health Nevada Department of Industrial Relations Capitol Complex 1370 S. Curry Street Carson City, NV 89710	NEW MEXICO Environmental Improvement Division Health & Environment Department P.O. Box 968 Sante Fe, NM 87504-0968
NEW YORK New York Department of Labor One Main Street Brooklyn, NY 11201	NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina Department of Labor 214 W. Jones Street, Shore Building Raleigh, NC 27603
OREGON Workers' Compensation Department Labor and Industries Building Salem, OR 97310	PUERTO RICO Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources Prudencio Reveria Martinez Building 505 Munoz Reveria Avenue Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00918
SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina Department of Labor 3600 Forest Drive P.O. Box 11329 Columbia, SC 29211-1329	TENNESSEE Tennessee Department of Labor 501 Union BuiLding Suite A, Second Floor Nashville, TN 37219
UTAH Utah Occupational Safety and Health 160 E. 3rd South P.O. Box 5800 Salt Lake City, UT 84110-5800	VERMONT Department of Labor & Industry 120 State Street Montpelier, VT 05602
VIRGIN ISLANDS Virgin Islands Department of Labor P.O. Box 890 Christainsted St. Croix, Virgin Islands 00820	VIRGINIA Department of Labor & Industry P.O. Box 12064 Richmond, VA 23241-0064
WASHINGTON Department of Labor & Industries General Administration Building Room 334-AX-31 Olympia, WA 98504	WYOMING Occupational Health and Safety Department 604 E. 25th Street Cheyenne, WY 82002

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, collects statistics on hospital infection control programs and publishes guidelines for infection control in hospital workers and for hospital environmental control.

Hospital Associations and Organizations

American Hospital Association (AMA)
840 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611

The AHA has numerous publications of interest, including those on hospital infection control, anesthetic waste gas, and hospital safety. They also sponsor conferences on hospital health and safety.

Federation of American Hospitals (FAN)
1405 N. Pierce, No. 311
Little Rock, AR 72207

The FAN is an organization of privately-owned and investor-owned hospitals.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
875 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

The JCAHO evaluates hospitals who choose to apply for accreditation every 3 years. Although their concern is primarily patient care, they have also established criteria for hospital health and safety activities.

Safety and Health Organizations

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Batterymarch Park
Quincy, MA 02269

The NFPA has developed publications on various aspects of fire safety (e.g., extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and electrical codes). Many of their guidelines are enforced by local and State fire marshals.

National Safety Council (NSC)
444 North Michigan Avenue Chicago,
IL 60611

The NSC publishes general recommendations for safety standards, with particular concern for fire safety. Health care concerns are emphasized.

Committees on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH)

COSH groups are coalitions of workers and health professionals who are concerned about hazardous work environments. Among the services often provided by these groups are health and safety information hotlines, educational materials, conferences, research on workplace hazards, and the sharing of experiences in investigating and controlling workplace hazards. COSH groups now exist in more than 30 cities in the United States.

Health Professional and Worker Organizations

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
80 F Street, N.W. Washington,
DC 20001

AFGE represents several hundred thousand workers in the Veterans Administration system. They have a health and safety program.

7.4.2 American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
1625 L Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20036

AFSCHE maintains an active health and safety staff and publishes material on hospital health and safety.

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)
3500 Piedmont Road,
N.E. Atlanta, QA 30305

AAOHN consists of registered nurses and other health professionals interested in occupational health issues.

American Occupational Medical Association (AOMA)
2340 South Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

The AOMA Committee on Occupational Health in Medical Centers has recently published guidelines.

Association of Hospital Employee Health Professionals
P.O. Box 2029
Chula Vista, CA 92012-2029

The members of this professional and educational organization are involved with health and safety issues in hospitals. The organization is working to establish guidelines for hospital employee health. The association publishes the Journal of Hospital Occupational Health and sponsors a 3-day national conference annually.

Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN)
10170 East Mississippi Avenue
Denver, CO 80231

This organization consists of registered nurses employed in operating rooms. Their goal is to improve operating room standards.

Hospital Workers Union 1199, AFL-CIO
625 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Hospital Workers Union 1199 was one of the first hospital unions to develop a full health and safety staff and program. The Union has produced many publications and holds conferences on health and safety on a regular basis.

College of American Pathologists (CAP)
5202 Did Orchard Road
Skokie, IL 60077

CAP has published guidelines for the operation of clinical laboratories.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
1313 L Street, N. W.
Washington, DC 20005

The SEIU maintains an active health and safety staff and publishes many materials on hospital health and safety.

Manufacturer's Associations

American Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
1901 North Fort Dyer Drive, Suite 602
Arlington, VA 22209

The AAMI is concerned with worker safety and health in the handling of medical instruments. The association has published recommended guidelines for the use of ethylene oxide.

Health Industry Manufacturers Association (HIMA)
1030 15th Street, N. w.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005

The HIMA represents domestic manufacturers of hospital devices and diagnostic products. They develop programs and sponsor activities on matters affecting the industry.

Publications

Newsletters

Hospital Infection Control
Published monthly by American Health Consultants, Inc., 67 Peachtree Park Drive N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309.

Infection Control Digest
Published monthly by the American Hospital Association, 840 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60611.

Hospital Employee Health
Published monthly by the American Health Consultants, Inc., 67 Peachtree Park Drive N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309.

Checklists and Manuals

Health and Safety Manual for Hospitals
Prepared by the Health and Safety Department, Canadian Union of Public Employees, March 1981.

Hospital Workers: Who Cares About Your Health on the Job?
Prepared by the Public Employee Department, AFL-CIO,
815 16th Street N. w.,
Washington, DC 20006.

Safety and Health Hazards on the Job: A Manual for Health Care Employees
Available from the Service Employees International Union,
2020 K. Street, N. w.,
Washington, DC 20006,
1982.

OSHA and the Hospital Manager: Checklist of OSHA Regulations for Health Care Institutions
Prepared by the Catholic Hospital Association,
St. Louis, MO 63104.

Hospital Safety. Vol. I, Hospital Safety Manual. Vol. II, Hospital Hazard Recognition
Prepared by the Hospital Safety Training Program Committee, Bureau of Safety and Regulation, Michigan Department of Labor, February 1977.

Regulations for Health Care Workers
Available from the Labor Occupational Health Project (LOHP),
2521Channing Way,
Berkeley, CA 94720

How to Look at Your Workplace
Prepared by Urban Planning Aid,
120 Boylston Street,
Boston, MA 02116.

Journals

American Journal of Industrial Medicine
American Journal of Public Health
Hospitals
Infection Control
Journal of Hospital Occupational Health
Journal of Occupational Medicine
Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health Nursing
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health

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