Health Care/Social Assistance

Oakland, CA — In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health – or Cal/OSHA – has published interim guidance on requirements for health care employers to protect workers from exposure.

New York — Nurses get nearly 90 minutes less sleep before shifts compared with days they don’t work, according to a recent study from New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

Chicago — Health care workers commonly carry respiratory viruses on their hands, clothing and personal protective equipment after administering care to patients, accentuating the need to practice “complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination,” results of a recent study suggest.

Washington — Patient care aides – workers who provide basic care in health care settings – are more likely than other health care workers to smoke, be obese, get insufficient sleep and have lower levels of health care access, results of a recent NIOSH study show.

Washington — The Department of Labor has withdrawn its proposal to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, according to DOL’s regulatory agenda for Fall 2019 – released Nov. 20.

Washington — The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act (H.R. 1309) passed out of the House Nov. 21 by a 251-159 vote.

Villejuif, France — Frequent use of common cleaning products and disinfectants at work may increase female nurses’ risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by up to 38%, results of a recent study led by researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research suggest.

Chicago — The American Medical Association has appointed a 13-member editorial panel of physicians and allied health professionals to oversee updates to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment – used to help determine compensation for injured workers.

Bethesda, MD — About three-quarters of U.S. adults say burnout among health care professionals is a concern and fear that it compromises their own safety and the level of care they receive, according to the results of a recent Harris Poll survey commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Lowell, MA — More than 1 out of 5 home care aides are verbally abused, and workers who experience mistreatment are 11 times more likely to be physically assaulted, results of a recent study from the University of Massachusetts Lowell show.