Culminating a long campaign by the Service Employees International Union - and over the opposition of the hospital and medical device lobbies - a national standard for preventing needlestick injuries in health care facilities took effect April 18.
The standard is designed to reduce the estimated 600,000-800,000 yearly needlestick injuries, SEIU and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which published the standard, said. More than 1,000 of the injured workers contract hepatitis or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, SEIU added.
OSHA said the standard requires employers - hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities - "to select safer needle devices as they become available and to involve employees in identifying and choosing the devices." It also requires employers to maintain a needlestick injury log.
And the employers must consider safer needle devices when they annually review their plan for preventing employee exposure to blood-borne diseases.
"Implementation of the needlestick regulation is the final step in a three-year campaign to protect health care workers by requiring the use of safer needles in health care facilities," the union said. "SEIU members led the fight for safer needles by winning legislation in 15 states, building enough momentum to pass the federal bill signed by President Clinton last November."
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OSHA said "involving frontline employees in selecting safer devices will help ensure that workers who are using the equipment have the opportunity for input into purchasing decisions" that affect their health and safety on the job.
This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used with permission.
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Culminating a long campaign by the Service Employees International Union – and over the opposition of the hospital and medical device lobbies – a national standard for preventing needlestick injuries in health care facilities took effect April 18.
The standard is designed to reduce the estimated 600,000-800,000 yearly needlestick injuries, SEIU and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which published the standard, said. More than 1,000 of the injured workers contract hepatitis or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, SEIU added.
OSHA said the standard requires employers – hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities – “to select safer needle devices as they become available and to involve employees in identifying and choosing the devices.” It also requires employers to maintain a needlestick injury log.
And the employers must consider safer needle devices when they annually review their plan for preventing employee exposure to blood-borne diseases.
“Implementation of the needlestick regulation is the final step in a three-year campaign to protect health care workers by requiring the use of safer needles in health care facilities,” the union said. “SEIU members led the fight for safer needles by winning legislation in 15 states, building enough momentum to pass the federal bill signed by President Clinton last November.”
online pharmacy buy zovirax online cheap pharmacy
OSHA said “involving frontline employees in selecting safer devices will help ensure that workers who are using the equipment have the opportunity for input into purchasing decisions” that affect their health and safety on the job.
This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used with permission.