OSHA Inspection: CARNEY HOSPITAL

Issued

Feb 10, 1995

Abate by

Mar 8, 1995

Penalty

Initial $2,625 · Current $1,313 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970:  The
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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, employees were
exposed to:  The hazard of exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis through
contact with patients
who were or may be infected with tuberculosis resulting in employees
becoming infected with
TB (possibly multi-drug resistant TB), developing active TB disease, and
becoming seriously ill
or die, in that:
At the Hospital;  Nurses, Doctors, Respiratory Therapists, Phlebotomists,
Housekeepers,
Radiology Technicians, and Other Necessary Personnel Were Exposed:
1)When patients with suspected or confirmed TB disease were not
effectively isolated;
2)When high hazard procedures, including sputum induction, were not
performed in areas
under negative pressure and appropriately exhausted;
3)When regular patient rooms, not under negative pressure, were sometimes
used for
patients suspected of having tuberculosis;
4)And when training and information provided to employees was inadequate
and did not
convey such information as, but not limited to, what constitutes high
hazard procedures
and isolation protocols necessary to reduce transmission of TB including
the need for
negative pressure isolation rooms for individuals with suspected or
confirmed TB.
Feasible and useful abatement methods for reducing this hazard, as
recommended by the Center
for Disease Control, among others are:
1)Establishment of adequate protocols for the early identification of
individuals with active
tuberculosis including effective evaluation of individuals with active TB
and effective
evaluation for those individuals with symptoms of TB;
2)Protection provided to the employees during evaluation of individuals
with symptoms of
TB patients by placement of individuals with suspected or confirmed TB
disease in acid
fast bacilli isolation rooms and placement of individuals undergoing high
hazard
procedures in areas maintained under negative pressure and appropriately
exhausted (the
same as for AFB isolation rooms);
3)Providing for appropriate training and information to ensure employee
knowledge of such
issues as the hazard of TB transmission, its signs and symptoms, medical
surveillance
and therapy, and site-specific protocols including the purpose and proper
use of controls,
in particular what constitutes an isolation room and appropriate
classification and degree
of risk for procedures being performed by employees;
4)And medical surveillance includes administration of Mantoux skin tests
every
six months
for those employees with potential exposure to individuals with suspect of
confirmed TB
disease or those performing high hazard procedures and annually for the
others.

Issued

Feb 10, 1995

Abate by

Mar 8, 1995

Penalty

Initial $2,625 · Current $1,313 Reduced

Issued

Feb 10, 1995

Abate by

Feb 22, 1995

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced