Health Care/Social Assistance

Washington – Placing limits on antibacterial ingredients in certain hygiene products could endanger health care workers as well as patients, according to a trade association representing cleaning product producers and suppliers.

Geneva – As the largest Ebola outbreak in history spreads across West Africa, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization have issued guidelines to help keep workers safe.

Sacramento, CA – New regulations in California will require certain hospitals to implement a safe patient-handling policy that uses devices and lifting teams to move patients, potentially improving the safety of patients, nurses and other staff.

Aberystwyth, U.K. – Fist-bumping transmits significantly fewer bacteria between people than either handshaking or high-fiving, according to a recent study from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University.

Washington – Many health care professionals do not know when to wear respiratory protection, what type is needed in certain scenarios and how to use the equipment properly, according to a recent NIOSH study.

Washington – A new OSHA brochure lays out how to implement a safe patient-handling program to help reduce or prevent musculoskeletal disorders among nursing home and residential care workers.

Atlanta – To help protect health care providers and facilities from the dangers of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed checklists for infection control actions.

Washington – Comprehensive safe patient-handling and mobility programs can decrease staff injuries and increase patient safety by nearly 95 percent, the American Nurses Association told congressional staff members May 28.

Sacramento, CA – Days after two nurses were stabbed at two separate Los Angeles-area hospitals, a California Senate committee has passed a bill intended to better protect hospital and health care workers from work-related violence.

Washington – The Food and Drug Administration has developed a free safety guide on patient lifting devices.