OSHA: 11 Areas to Know in Senior Care

Lots of us may take OSHA less than seriously because we hear about it a lot and it’s a mandatory topic that employees are mandated to take annually in senior care. I often hear staff moaning about going to their OSHA inservice or taking online courses – which I prefer! I suppose it’s like not listening to our parents when we were younger. Instead we would hear the same message coming from someone else and we would think “That’s brilliant!” Regardless of who is talking about OSHA, we should remind ourselves how important it is and go back to the basics.

What is OSHA and Why is it Important?

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration and in senior care, there are eleven areas that are very important. OSHA has been around for a while. Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, which in turn created OSHA. The goal of OSHA is to help employees reduce workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths.

Believe it or not, the health care industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States and ranks up there with construction, trucking and meatpacking in nonfatal injury rates. Health care employs almost 3 million individuals in over 21,000 care facilities throughout the nation. Put a lot of people in contained areas caring for other people and a lot can go wrong. As a matter of fact, workplace injuries and illnesses cost $170 billion annually. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of injuries in senior care is second among all industries. Skilled nursing facilities, in particular, are among the top ten industries for musculoskeletal problems. Up to 60% of STNAs report at least one injury every year. These are some reasons why it’s so important to know about OSHA.

11 Areas of OSHA to Remember

• Blood Borne Pathogens
• Ergonomics
• Dietary Services
• Laundry Services
• Housekeeping Services
• Maintenance Services
• The Nurse’s Station
• Pharmacy Services
• Tuberculosis
• Whirlpool and/or Shower
• Workplace Violence

While we can’t cover all of these topics, you can see that they are very important areas in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. There are many potential hazards related to each of these areas which can be caused by ineffective exposure control, needle stick injuries, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV. Improper use of universal precautions can also lead to problems. Working alone, ineffective staff training, and improper use of chemicals can also cause chaos in senior care facilities.

Final Thoughts

While the acronym OSHA may make many health care employees sleepy, it has a very important place in senior care. Sometimes the simple stuff is what we shrug off as unimportant. We may think that we have heard this all before over and over again. What could I possibly learn this time? If violence breaks out in your facility, what would you do? What about a case of TB? OSHA is about many things, but most of all, I think it’s about keeping us prepared to deal with whatever might come our way in senior care.

More About Healthcare Compliance

• Infection Control 101
• HIPAA and Social Media: The Good, Bad and Ugly
• Elopement in Senior Care
• Falls and Aging
• Corporate Compliance 101