OSHA Inspection: ST. JOSEPH'S PROVINCIAL HOUSE

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

May 13, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

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 exposed to the
hazard of being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis through
unprotected contact with
residents who were infectious or suspected to be infectious with
tuberculosis in that:
a)On or about September 26 through October 6, 2003, at the St. Joseph's
Provincial
House, a member of the nursing staff was exposed to the hazard of being
infected
with Mycobacterium tuberculosis through contact with a suspected
tuberculosis
resident.
ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS ITEM.
Feasible and useful abatement methods for reducing this hazard, as
recommended
by CDC, include, but are not limited to:
-Early Identification of Residents: Implementation of a protocol for the
early
identification of individuals with active TB.
-Medical Surveillance: Make available TB skin tests (no cost to the
employees)
to all current potentially exposed employees and to all new employees
prior to
exposure.  A two-step baseline shall be used for new employees who have an
initially negative PPD test result and have not had a documented negative
TB skin
test result during the proceeding 12 months.  Follow-up and treatment
evaluations
are also to be offered at no cost to the workers.
TB testing conducted every three months for workers in high risk
categories,
every six months for workers in intermediate risk categories and annually
for low
risk personnel.
Implementation of Case Management of Infected Employees-Conversion to a
positive TB skin test shall be determined as soon as possible, by
appropriate
physical, laboratory, and radiographic evaluations to determine whether the
employee has infectious TB disease.
-Worker Education and Training
Impplementation of Engineering Controls-Isolation and treatment rooms in
use by
individuals with suspected or confirmed infectious TB disease shall be
kept under
negative pressure to induce airflow into the room from all surrounding
areas, or
transfer to a facility providing negative pressure isolation.

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 28, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 13, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 12, 2004

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 13, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 28, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 28, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 28, 2004

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

Apr 13, 2004

Issued

Mar 26, 2004

Abate by

May 13, 2004