OSHA Requires Employee Safety Training

In the dental profession, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not require that employees or employers receive CE units or attend outside OSHA courses. The basic premise of OSHA’s training requirements, for all employers in the US, is to ensure that dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) are trained on the hazards associated with their job, as well as on ways to mitigate the hazards to perform the job safely.

Generally speaking, the following OSHA training topics apply to DHCP working in the dental setting: bloodborne pathogens, aerosol transmissible/respiratory diseases (patient screening and referral), hazard communication, injury and illness prevention (general office safety and emergency response), radiation safety, and workplace violence prevention. Not all topics listed above will apply to all employees and dental settings. The training subjects will vary depending on the hazards of a particular job.

OSHA does not mandate how employee training must be delivered. There are no required training hours or number of units. Trainers do not have to be certified. The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, however, does require documentation of the trainer’s qualifications.

Here are the options to provide OSHA training to your staff:

• You as the dental employer can do the training yourself.
• You can hire someone to come to your office to train your staff.
• You can send your staff to a seminar, and then follow up with training on your office’s procedures.
• You can designate one staff person to train the rest of the staff and ensure the designated trainer attends an OSHA seminar annually for any updates.
• You can use a training video, then follow up with training on your office procedures.

OSHA requires training DHCP when hired or assigned to new jobs; when a new potentially hazardous process or material is introduced to the workplace; or when a procedure is identified as hazardous. Annual refresher training may be required depending on the particular topic. For example, bloodborne pathogens training is required annually, but hazard communication training is only required upon employment and whenever a procedural change introduces a new chemical hazard.

OSHA Review, Inc. a registered continuing education provider in the State of California, specializing in Dental Practice Act, infection control, and Cal/OSHA training. OSHA Review subscribers in California receive updated regulatory compliance and infection control training thorough our bi-monthly newsletter.