title: OSHA safety requirements and the general duty clause.
abstract: Dental offices and clinics are subject to the same general safety requirements as other workplaces. Current guidelines, inspections, education, and training focus on infectious disease as the major workplace hazard for dental health care personnel (DHCP). However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an increasing variety and number of general safety hazards during inspections of dental offices. A review of the general safety requirements for personal protective equipment and fire safety as they relate to DHCP follows. The authors discuss the responsibility of both employers and employees to perform workplace hazard evaluation and to implement education, engineering controls, and work practice controls to minimize their exposure to recognized and emerging workplace hazards.
authors.affiliation: Defense Human Resources Activity, Civilian Personnel Management Service, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chillock
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Edelman
authors.forename: Shannon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007879:Legislation, Dental; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011482:Protective Devices; D013663:Teaching / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*