Pete began his shift in the hematology department. He liked to use the counter-mounted safety shield when opening specimens because he didn’t like to wear goggles over his eyeglasses. When it was time to read differential slides, he knew he couldn’t look into the microscope with his glasses on,...
Be prepared for COVID-19 cases to increase in number and potentially severity if the general public becomes too lax in vaccination, testing, and using precautions once the public health emergency (PHE) officially ends on May 11.
You can have clutter in your bedroom, your car, or your home closet, but you can’t have it in your laboratory. Hazardous chemicals can’t be stored above eye level, boxes can’t block exits, combustibles should be kept away from heat sources. Everything in a lab has a proper place, and lab workers...
If you’ve ever ridden a roller coaster, you have some idea about what specimens go through when being transported via a pneumatic tube system (PTS). They, too, experience twists and turns, shaking, and vibrations on the journey.
The wrong label on the wrong container in the laboratory can be dangerous, even lethal. Given the wide variety of chemicals, biologicals, combustibles, and other materials the laboratory worker uses every day, ensuring everything is properly labeled with the right information is key to workplace...
Be sure you understand the requirements of your state or local fire authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) when evaluating the annual testing of your hospital’s medical gas program.
Ensure your workers are up to date on respirator fit testing and falls protection protocols, especially if OSHA has cited your healthcare facility for those safety problems in the last five years. If the facility is found to be a “willful” repeat offender, the penalties could be much worse...
There are better ways to manage genetic testing. Implementing a lab stewardship program that encompasses the rapidly expanding genetic testing field can provide clarity for providers, improved care for patients, and savings for hospitals.
Laboratorians work with vendor or field service representatives on a regular basis, all of whom provide important products, equipment, and services. However, lab managers and employees need to pay special attention to the actions that reps take in the lab and the information that they provide....
“When contractors are hired, there should be an agreement which designates which agency will provide which [safety] requirements,” Scungio says. “The bottom line is that contracted employees must follow all required safety practices and policies of the temporary employer organization.”
