OSHA Inspection: ST. LUKES HOSPITAL

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Dec 5, 1988

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $900

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The
employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were
free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death
or serious physical harm to employees in that:
Health care workers were exposed to the hazard of being infected by HBV
or HIV through possible direct contact with blood or other body fluids.
Feasible abatement methods for reducing this hazard include:
1) Eliminate the current practice of recapping needles when drawing
blood for blood cultures, which exposes phlebotomists, (any health
care worker who draws blood samples) to the risk of needlesticks, and
transporting them for injection into culture media. Alternatives
would be: use of a method other than recapping for needle protection;
transporting the culture media to the area where blood is to be drawn
for immediate injection of the blood into the media; or, draw the
blood into a vacuum tube, dispose of the needle properly, transport
the tube to the laboratory, and use a second syringe to inject the
blood into the culture media.
NOTE: Reference CDC Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS
Recommendations and Guidelines.
2) Evaluate the health care worker clinically and by HIV antibody
testing and test the patient for HIV infection whenever a health care
worker has a percutaneous (needlestick of cut) or mucous membrane
(splash to eye, nasal mucosa, or mouth) exposure to body fluids or
has a cutaneous exposure to blood when the worker's skin is chapped,
abraded, or otherwise nonintact, in accordance with CDC Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS Recommendations and Gudelines.
3) Require that soiled linen be placed in an imprevious bag at the
location where it was used, in accordance with CDC Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS Recommendations and Guidelines, as
opposed to the current practice of placing it into a bag which has a
flap which is then folded over. This current practice has resulted in
soiled linen falling out of the bags when they are placed into the
linen chutes, thus exposing linen workers to a substantial risk of
direct exposure to body fluids.

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Nov 4, 1988

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Nov 14, 1988

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Oct 24, 1988

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Nov 14, 1988

Penalty

Initial $1,800 · Current $1,800

Issued

Oct 21, 1988

Abate by

Oct 31, 1988

Penalty

Initial $1,400 · Current $1,400