OSHA launches nursing and residential care facility NEP
Washington – OSHA recently launched a National Emphasis Program for nursing and residential care facilities aimed at reducing serious safety and health hazards commonly found in medical industries.
OSHA will target nursing home and residential care facilities for the next three years through the NEP (.pdf file), the agency announced in an April 5 press release. The NEP provides guidance to OSHA compliance officers on targeting and conducting inspections in these facilities for hazards such as:
- Blood or other infectious material
- Communicable disease exposure
- Ergonomic stressor related to patient lifting
- Workplace violence
- Slips, trips and falls
Workers in the nursing and residential care sector experience injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work at a rate that is more than 2 times greater than private industry as a whole, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSHA administrator David Michaels, who originally announced the NEP last year, said in the press release the NEP would “strengthen protections for society’s caretakers.”
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