OSHA Inspection: NEW HANOVER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Issued

Aug 17, 2001

Abate by

Sep 13, 2001

Penalty

Initial $688

General-duty citation text

North Carolina General Statute 95-129(1) of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of North Carolina:  The
employer did not furnish to each of his employees  conditions of
employment and a place of employment free from
recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious
physical harm to employees in that
employees were exposed to droplet nuclei of mycobacterium tuberculosis
(TB) from suspect and positive TB patients:
a)hospital, near Facility Services shipping and receiving area -
employee(s) were exposed to exhausted
air from "converted" tuberculosis (TB) isolation rooms that were used for
examining and treating
suspected and positive TB patient(s).  The air was exhausted from the
"converted" TB isolation
room(s) with the use of "squirrel" cage fans that were equipped with
plastic ducts that were taped and
sealed to the face of the fans and windows in the rooms.
One feasible and acceptable abatement method, among others, to correct
this hazard is to design a TB
isolation room; or use a fixed or portable recirculation system (i.e.,
systems that recirculate the air in
an entire room) designed to achieve negative pressure by discharging air
outside the room.
NOTE:  Air cleaners that can accomplish this must be designed specifically
for this purpose.
(Reference: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health
Service Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, Georgia 30333, Guidelines
for preventing the
Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities,
1994, Supplement 3,
Paragraph D, Section 3.)

Issued

Aug 17, 2001

Abate by

Sep 13, 2001

Issued

Aug 17, 2001

Abate by

Sep 13, 2001