The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a campaign called Safe + Sound to raise awareness about the importance of teamwork, leadership, and commitment to safety at work. According to the campaign, “every workplace should have a safety and…
We are often asked if staff can wear their scrubs home from the office, or if staff can launder their scrubs at home. The answer to both of these questions is essentially the same: If the scrubs are worn as…
Safe parenteral injection practices are intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases between one patient and another, or between a patient and dental personnel during preparation and injection of medications. Dental personnel most frequently perform parenteral injections when administering local…
Reusable contaminated protective attire must be laundered in accordance with Cal/OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Cal/OSHA defines “contaminated laundry” to be “laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) or may contain sharps”. Employees may NOT…
Nobody expects an emergency or a disaster to happen. Yet, emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere. Employers should establish effective safety and health management systems that prepare employees for emergencies to ensure that employers and workers have the…
According to U.S. News and World Report, in April 2018, a dental receptionist was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison for stealing over 600 patients’ protected health information (PHI). The woman stole patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth,…
The short answer is no. However, other factors, such as the availability of a public fire department or the vulnerability of egress routes, will enter into this decision. According to OSHA Regulation 29 CFR 1910.157, choosing to evacuate the workplace rather…
The Dental Board of California’s Infection Control Regulation (California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Section 1005. Minimum Standards for Infection Control) requires that each dental office in California must maintain a written infection control protocol onsite which states the office’s…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated May 5th, 2018 as World Hand Hygiene Day. Both WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer resources for healthcare providers to practice effective hand hygiene to prevent and control…
The regulations for monitoring occupational exposure to x-ray radiation, also referred to as dosimetry, arise directly from federal regulations, 10 CFR 20, which are the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) standards. Federal radiation requirements are enforced either directly by the NRC…
