In late 2020, the American Dental Association (ADA) issued the Technical Report Guidance on Method Development and Validation of Cleaning Processes for Dental Instruments to help guide manufacturers of reusable dental instruments on developing and validating reprocessing instructions that follow…
November 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of the federal Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which mandated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to add safety provisions to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. These included: New requirements for the evaluation and…
With the end of the year drawing near, as we prepare to usher in 2021, December is a good time to review and evaluate office safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance and their effectiveness. Using a safety assessment checklist…
In May, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an interim memorandum on the requirements for recording occupational illnesses, specifically cases of COVID-19. The memorandum is expected to remain in effect until the current COVID-19 public health crisis…
When surgical N95 respirators are necessary to protect employees, employers must implement a formal, comprehensive respiratory protection program in accordance with Cal/OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard (5144) and Cal/OSHA’s Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard (5199). Refer to the COVID-19 Control and…
OSHA releases a new video and poster that demonstrates how to don and doff a respirator correctly at work. The guidance includes seal check procedures to ensure that there is no leakage. The seven steps with depictions include: Wash your…
At the end of April, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a Guidance Document for dental employers to protect dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) from exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic. This differs from other guidance documents from…
We have been getting inquiries from our dental clients in California, asking about possible Cal/OSHA regulatory changes that might come about after the proverbial COVID-19 dust settles and it’s back to business as usual. Hopefully, that is sooner rather than…
Cal/OSHA Standard Section 5203 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) mandates that all employers who use a regulated carcinogen must report that use in writing, by mail or email, to Cal/OSHA’s Asbestos and Carcinogen Unit. Cal/OSHA regulates ~30 regulated carcinogens under Title 8 CCR Sections…
The mission of the US Department of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) is to ensure the protection of workers and prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by setting and enforcing standards. Many OSHA standards include explicit safety and health training requirements to ensure…
