Both the Federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA Hazard Communication (Hazcom) Standards require that every hazardous chemical used in the workplace must have an accompanying safety data sheet (SDS), previously referred to as MSDS. The SDS is a detailed document that describes…
Dentists are required to post in the office, and distribute to each patient no later than the first appointment date, a Notice of Privacy Practices, which is a formal, written document summarizing the legal duties of the dental practice to…
The California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) requires all employers, including dental offices, to inform employees about state laws governing wages, working hours, and working conditions by posting the applicable Wage Order in the place of business. IWC Wage Order No…
On August 28, 2016, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) adopted amendments to Proposition 65 warning regulations that will require dental offices to modify their Proposition 65 warning(s) to patients. Proposition 65, also known…
Under universal/standard precautions, OSHA deems that all teeth must be assumed to be potentially infectious. As such, they must be handled safely, to prevent the potential for occupational transmission of disease to employees who come into contact with them. However,…
Effective April 1, 2017 as Section 3342 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, Cal/OSHA’s Violence Prevention in Health Care regulation requires specified health care facilities to establish workplace violence prevention plans to protect health care personnel from…
In September 2016, California Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2235, also known as Caleb’s Law, into law. Caleb was a six-year old who died in 2015 from complications sustained during dental treatment while under general anesthesia. AB 2235 covers…
Documented Infection Transmission from DUWLs In April 2016, twenty pediatric dental patients had to be hospitalized due to infection transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus from contaminated dental unit water used during pulpotomies. And from March-August 2016, 58 pediatric patients became infected…
In an effort to identify and deter prescription drug abuse and diversion, in September 2016, California Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 482 into law. SB 482, which takes effect on July 1, 2017, requires all healthcare providers who are…
Last month, the California Department of Justice and the California Department of Consumer Affairs issued a joint notification to all affected parties that the CURES 1.0 system will no longer be available after Saturday, March 4, 2017. The old system…
