The final word. OSHA's final ruling offers firm deadlines for infection control.
Departments that have put off program development while waiting for the final ruling to be published have a lot of work to do. Many departments have been cited and fined by OSHA in the past year for failure to begin infection-control programs or provide hepatitis-B vaccines to personnel. Under the new budget, OSHA was granted permission to up its fine structure sevenfold--thus, a small fine is $7,000, and the highest fine for a single violation is $70,000. Fines can have a greater impact on a department's budget than implementation of the program over time. A key point to remember is that a strong infection-control program will reduce exposure follow-up costs and worker-compensation claims. Infection control is a win-win situation.
West
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D001769:Blood; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration