OSHA Inspection: ALDEN COURT NURSING CARE AND REHABILITATION CENTER

Issued

Feb 12, 2004

Abate by

Oct 31, 2004

Penalty

Initial $3,150 · Current $1,575 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 in that employees
were exposed required to perform tasks that have caused or were likely to
cause musculoskeletal
disorders (MSDs):
(a) On or about August 18, 2003 and at times prior thereto, employees,
including the Certified
Nursing Assistants who work at Alden Court Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center in Fairhaven,
Massachusetts performed repeated lifting/lowering, pushing, pulling,
bending, reaching, twisting,
and other tasks associated with resident transfers and repositioning.
These actions, which
required employees to manually transfer and/or reposition partial
weight-bearing
residents and
non-weight bearing residents, exposed employees to hazards which had
caused, are causing, or
are likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) involving the back
and shoulders.
Abatement:  Although some ergonomic-related risk factors may be reduced or
eliminated by
implementing a single means of abatement, in most cases a process that
includes analysis of the
worksite, instituting appropriate controls, providing appropriate response
to employee injuries,
and training and education (in both recognition of hazard and injury and
of avoidance of injury)
will provide the most effective method of addressing the risk factors.
The employer may adopt
any measures that are effective in substantially reducing or eliminating
the hazard.
Abatement controls include engineering, training and education, and
administrative and
work practice controls.
Engineering controls:
Some examples of engineering controls include:
The availability and use of an adequate number of mechanical lift-assist
devices and
transfer and repositioning devices, which include, but are not limited to:
low-friction slip
sheets, pivot transfer devices, slide boards, double-handled gait belts,
as well as
specialized equipment for use with residents with special needs (i.e.,
bariatric residents).
Training and Education:
Examples of training and education include:
Providing training and retraining to employees who are responsible for
transferring and
repositioning residents, stressing the importance of reporting
musculoskeletal injuries,
providing regular feedback to injured employees on corrective actions in
order to prevent
future injuries, and training in the appropriate use of mechanical
lift-assist, transfer, and
repositioning devices.
Administrative Controls:
Examples of administrative controls that may apply to this facility
include:
1.  Develop and implement a preventive maintenance program to ensure that
all mechanical lift
assist devices, transfer devices, and beds are properly maintained.2.
Develop and enforce a policy requiring the use of transfer and
repositioning devices when
a resident's care plan documents the need.
3.  Provide resident mobility assessments in a timely manner, including at
the time of admission
and whenever a change in the resident affects his/her ability to assist
with transfers or
repositioning.
Work Practice Controls:
Some examples of work practice controls that may apply to this workplace
include:
Monitor resident repositioning to ensure that, where required, it is
performed by a
minimum of two persons in accordance with company policy.  Manual lifting
of totally
dependent residents by nursing staff will be prohibited unless exceptional
circumstances
dictate otherwise, for example emergency situations, medical necessity, or
resident
refusal to allow the use of mechanical devices.al

Issued

Feb 12, 2004

Abate by

Apr 30, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,350 · Current $675 Reduced

Issued

Feb 12, 2004

Abate by

Apr 30, 2004

Issued

Feb 11, 2004

Abate by

Feb 17, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,350 · Current $675 Reduced