OSHA has finalized a rule amending the Representatives of Employers and Employees regulation. This amendment clarifies that during OSHA inspections, employee representatives may include third-party individuals who are not employees of the employer. Such third-party representatives can accompany...
Within healthcare, bloodstream infections (BSI) are an evergreen danger for patients. Caused when bacteria enter a patient’s bloodstream via a laceration or the insertion of a medical device, BSI prevention is a topic that infection preventionists are constantly working on.To learn more about...
My good friend and esteemed colleague, Robert Vance III, has been working in the hospital environment for a fair number of years now. In working with Bob at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California, what has impressed me most is his thoughtful and measured approach to everything he...
As ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) strive to maintain high standards of safety and compliance, understanding key aspects of life safety and fire safety codes is essential. In this article, we delve into what may seem like basic—but crucial—topics with insights from Dale Lyman, CFPS...
As children across the country head back to school, the risk of viruses and infections spreading increases. Teachers, students, and staff all come into close contact with one another on school grounds, making it extremely easy to transmit illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19, respiratory...
The only thing less enjoyable than a complaint survey is a second complaint survey for the same issue. IAQ spoke with Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHSA, president of Patton Healthcare Consulting and Barrins & Associates and a former Joint Commission nurse surveyor and director of service operations,...
In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS,laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia, and otherwise known as “Dan,...
One of the truisms of managing healthcare in current climes and times is the importance of creating environments that can withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (and we’ve certainly had more than our share of those). In looking back at the last five or so years, it is very clear...
On how to protect lab workers using ergonomics, MEU spoke with Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, laboratory safety officer for Sentara Healthcare in Virginia, and Sean G. Kaufman, CEO and founding partner of the lab safety company Safer Behaviors.
This is Part 2 of our interview with Rachelle Babin, MBA, BSN, RN, CEC, CMMT, certified executive coach and consultant at Rachelle Babin Leadership, on high-level disinfection (HLD) of medical equipment. Human error, missed cleaning steps, or not following manufacturer’s instructions for use (...
