OSHA Inspection: THE NEW YORK AND PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 29, 2015

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $4,200 Reduced

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1):  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 patients who were infected or suspected to be infectious with tuberculosis in that:  On and after 7/15/2014, Health care workers and other hospital workers had unprotected exposure to patients who had suspected or confirmed infectious TB disease.     a) The patients were not promptly identified and systematically screened identified to prevent unprotected exposure to employees.   b) A contact investigation with follow-up screening to identify for exposed employees was not completed in accordance with established guidelines.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,400 · Current $2,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(c)(1)(v): The employer, who was required to establish an Exposure Control Plan, did not solicit input from non-managerial employees responsible for direct patient care who are potentially exposed to injuries from contaminated sharps in the identification, evaluation and selection of effective engineering and work practice controls and did not document the solicitation in the Exposure Control plan:  (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, employees in job titles including but not limited to clinical nurses were not offered the opportunity to provide input on the evaluation and selection of engineering and work practice controls.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $3,300 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(iii): The employer did not provide hand washing facilities which were readily accessible to employees:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at NYPH- CUMC., linen workers who handled and re-bagged contaminated laundry were not provided access to hand washing facilities. The nearest hand washing facility is located on a different floor.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $4,200 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(3)(xi): Appropriate protective clothing such as, but not limited to, gowns, aprons, lab coats, clinic jackets, or similar outer garments were not worn in occupational exposure situations:  (a) On or about 7/15/2014 , In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at NYPH- CUMC, .linen workers handled and rebagged loose contaminated laundry.  The employer failed to provide appropriate outer garments covering the trunk and legs of employees, to protect against contact with linens that were soaked through and sometimes contained loose medical sharps.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 15, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iv)(B): The employer shall ensure that employees who have contact with contaminated laundry wear protective gloves and other appropriate personal protective equipment.  (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, linen workers who handled and rebagged contaminated laundry known to contain sharps and blood and OPIM were exposed to bloodborne pathogens including hepatitis B and C and HIV. The employer did not provide employees with puncture- and tear-resistant gloves.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $4,200 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(i): The employer did not determine or implement an appropriate written schedule for cleaning or method of decontamination based upon the location within the facility, type of surface to be cleaned, type of soil present, and tasks or procedures being performed in the area:  (a) On or about 7/15/2014 In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, n chute areas. The employer failed to implement a written schedule for cleaning or method of decontamination for areas including but not limited to those where dirty linens were handled, where surfaces became contaminated with blood and OPIM.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(ii)(A): Contaminated work surfaces were not decontaminated with an appropriate disinfectant after completion of procedures:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 In the emergency department at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center,  The employer failed to ensure that work surfaces contaminated with blood and OPIM were decontaminated with an EPA approved disinfectant after the completion of procedures.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $3,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iv)(C): Contaminated laundry was shipped off site to a second facility which did not utilize Universal Precautions in the handling of all laundry and the laundry was not placed in bags or containers which were labeled or color-coded in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(1)(i):  (a) On or about 7/15/2014  In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, the employer bags contaminated laundry in  blue, plastic bags without biohazard labeling, some of which bore a stamp reading: "SOILED LINEN ROPA SUCIA".

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $4,200 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(i): The employer failed to train each employee with occupational exposure in accordance with the requirements of this section:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014, In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at NYPH- CUMC. The employer failed to include train linen workers on several of the content requirements itemized in the standard. Omitted required training topics include:  (1) an explanation of the contents of 1910.1030; (2) an explanation of tasks with recognized occupational exposure; (3) the use and limitations of work practices, engineering controls, and PPE; (4) training on the PPE required in the work area; (5) the signs and labels and color coding in the work area; and (6) an opportunity for interactive questions with the person providing the training.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(vi): Material appropriate in content or vocabulary to educational level, literacy, or language of employees was not used in the bloodborne pathogen training program:  (a) On or about 7/15/2014  In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, non-English speaking linen workers received training which contained medical terminology in English only.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $3,300 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(f)(2)(iv): The employer did not ensure that employees who declined to accept the hepatitis B vaccination offered by the employer signed the statement in appendix A:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, staff including but not limited to clinical nurses in the EDs and linen workers who handled contaminated laundry were not required to sign HepB declination forms.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $3,300 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(5)(i)(A): The employer did not maintain a sharps injury log that contained at a minimum the type and brand of device involved in the incident:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center. the employer failed to ensure that the type and brand of device involved in needlestick injuries was documented in the sharps injury log.  This included but was not limited to entry 2014-05218 which occurred on 10/3/2014.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $3,300 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1096(d)(1): The employer did not make such surveys as necessary to evaluate the radiation hazards incident to the production, use, release, disposal or presence of radioactive materials or other sources of radiation under a specific set of conditions:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center on unit 3HN inside Millstein hospital building, clinical staff were exposed to hazardous ionizing radiation.  The employer failed to evaluate this area for radiation hazards through surveys while the unit was utilized to provide radiation therapies during adjacent hospital construction activities.    (b) On or about 7/15/2014  In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, linen workers exposed to ionizing radiation during the handling of "hot" bags of contaminated laundry.  The employer did not perform a survey such as but not limited to dosimetry to evaluate their radiation hazards.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 8290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1096(e)(2): The radiation area(s) were not conspicuously posted with a sign or signs bearing the radiation caution symbol described in 29 CFR 1910.1096(e)(1) and the words:  "Caution, Radiation Area":   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, on unit 3HN, clinical staff providing care to patients undergoing treatments and procedures involving radiation exposure were exposed to hazardous ionizing radiation.  The employer failed to post signage in the area being utilized to provide radiation therapies.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $70,000 · Current $21,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(i): Engineering and work practice controls were not used to eliminate or minimize employee exposure:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center,  the employer failed to implement controls to eliminate or minimize the exposure of linen workers to blood and OPIM, where laundry bags routinely tore and spilled their contents.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $70,000 · Current $21,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iv)(A): Contaminated laundry was not handled as little as possible with a minimum of agitation:   (a) On or about 7/15/2014 In the dirty linen chute rooms underneath Millstein and Children's hospital buildings at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, contaminated laundry was excessively handled by linen workers because the laundry bags broke.

Issued

Jan 14, 2015

Abate by

Jan 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $1,100 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2): The employer did not verify that the required workplace hazard assessment has been performed through a written certification which included the requirements as outlined in 29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2):  (a) On or about 7/15/2014 at The New York and Presbyterian Hospital dba NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, the employer failed to certify a PPE assessment for employees including but not limited to clinical staff members and linen workers.