It doesn’t take a lot to make a culture, but in the laboratory or clinic it takes a great deal of work to make a culture into a safety culture. Even when two facilities have the same polices and rules, there are still differences in leadership, personalities, methods, and expectations—all of...
Most sharps injuries—84%—occur among healthcare workers, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed in a recently released analysis. Injuries from a needle or other sharp objects can expose workers to bloodborne pathogens (BBP), such as human immunodeficiency...
Sean G. Kaufman, CEO and founding partner of the lab safety company Safer Behaviors, offered Medical Environment Update some suggestions on engagement in a recent interview.
Getting staff engaged with safety training can be the difference between them remembering how to do something safely and them injuring themselves or...
The lab technologist approached the lab safety officer (LSO) to ask what should be done with a collection of liquid wastes that were collected from the...
An important part of the diversion prevention and detection initiatives of any institution is limiting access to controlled drugs through physical security measures and instituting measures that allow identification of the culprit when diversion does occur.
It can be frustrating to see safety issues go unnoticed or unattended, especially after they have been reported. The apparent roadblocks to solutions may be a lack of funds, busy or disinterested leadership, or even a poor culture of safety. There are steps you can take, however, which can help...
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and while hopefully your laboratory staff aren’t children, they should know the protocols for eye protection when dealing with hazardous materials. American workers experience 2,000 eye-...
Biorisk and biosecurity management protects lab workers and the communities they work in from the unintended, or intended, release of biological agents. The importance of this cannot be overstated, given the unknowns clinical lab workers face when testing patient samples and other materials.