Health Care/Social Assistance

Washington – OSHA will pursue a federal standard aimed at preventing workplace violence among health care and social service workers, after receiving petitions from National Nurses United and a coalition of labor unions led by the AFL-CIO.

Washington – With career burnout, depression and suicide among health care workers alarmingly high, the National Academy of Medicine has created an “action collaborative” of more than 20 medical organizations to address these issues.

Philadelphia – The American College of Physicians has voiced its support for a proposal that would allow first-year medical residents to work shifts of up to 28 hours without sleep.

Atlanta – As many as 2.7 million U.S. workers may have asthma caused or aggravated by workplace conditions, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington – OSHA has announced a Request for Information on whether the agency should propose a standard aimed at preventing workplace violence in the health care and social assistance sectors.

Rochester, MN – A team of researchers from Mayo Clinic recently presented nine strategies intended to help curb burnout among physicians.

Arlington, VA – The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has created a flier detailing best practices for proper use of different types of gloves in health care settings.

Sacramento, CA – Regulations intended to protect California’s health care workers from workplace violence have been unanimously approved by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Washington – The health care industry commonly uses scavenging systems to protect operating room personnel from exposure to anesthetic gases or vapors that are released or leak out during medical procedures, but other recommended practices are not always observed, according to a recent study from NIOSH.

Washington – NIOSH has added 34 drugs to its list of those that have the potential to be hazardous to an estimated 8 million U.S. health care workers.