Often when we think about safety in the laboratory, we think about the immediate: disposing of the sharp in our hand right away or getting someone who had chemicals splash in their eyes to the eyewash station right now. But being proactive about safety requires the lab worker and safety officer...
Workplace violence in healthcare is an escalating concern, as highlighted by recent reports and studies that expose the alarming trends affecting healthcare workers across the United States.
When conflicts arise in the lab, they can distract staff from their work or safety practices. Conflicts can break down crucial relationships, lower work quality, and even erupt into verbal or physical violence. To talk about how a lab can prevent conflicts from arising and steps to take when...
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...
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...
In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS,laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia, and otherwise known as “Dan,...
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.
With the increasing level of warmth due to climate change, the impact on occupational safety regulations borders on the inevitable (joining death and taxes). And that inevitability has resulted in OSHA moving forward with some “advice” to prevent heat-related illness and injury. For those of you...
Hospitals are meant to be sanctuaries of healing and care, where patients can find solace and treatment for their ailments. However, violence-related sentinel events, which encompass physical assault, sexual assault, and even homicide, pose a significant threat to patient safety and challenge...