Like most dermatologists, Dr Blood uses a variety of hypodermic needles. After use, they are routinely discarded in the appropriate medical waste container. One night, after sending his staff home, Blood uses a needle to remove a cyst from an old college buddy. Because of the late hour, the physician does not clean up his medical waste and needles, confident that his medical assistant will do so appropriately in the morning. Show
The next day, the assistant, not knowing what transpired the night before, assumes that the materials can simply be thrown in a waste receptacle. She lifts the pile, gets stuck by a needle, and ultimately develops a serious hepatitis B infection. The medical assistant leaves Blood’s employ and files a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). She contends that her now former employer negligently left the exposed needle in a dangerous location, which led to her injuries. Blood contends that had she picked up the drape, she would have known to be careful with the “sharps” and avoided infection. Who is correct? When Congress passed the OSHA Act of 1970, the goal was to secure safe conditions for all workers. OSHA covers every workplace that has at least 1 employee and engages in a business that affects interstate commerce. Interstate commerce encompasses anything that crosses state lines, whether a person, goods, or services, which means that physicians’ offices are affected. In addition, OSHA specifically includes physicians. OSHA requires that a covered employer comply with specific occupational safety and health standards applicable to the workplace. Employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment. After a claim is filed, an OSHA inspector will conduct on on-site investigation and may then notify the employer via certified mail if a penalty will be imposed. The employer has 15 days to respond to the charges. If they fail to do so during that time, the citation is a final order and not subject to review by any court or agency. Penalties are in line with the severity of the act. A willful violation that causes an employee’s death incurs a criminal fine of no more than $10,000, imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both. Willful or repeated violations may incur civil penalties of up to $70,000 but not less than $5000 for each violation, no matter if malice was an issue. Intent alone is sufficient to justify this penalty. A second violation results in a fine of $20,000, imprisonment of up to 1 year, or both. Both serious and nonserious violations may incur civil penalties of up to $7000 each. Employers who do not correct violations may be fined up to $7000 for each day that the violation or failure to correct it persists. OSHA developed its bloodborne pathogens standard to protect health care and other workers in any environment, including medical offices, where there is possible deadly exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases that are spread through the bloodstream. This standard requires employee training and use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the task performed, as well as proper labeling. Any office that disposes of medical waste, ranging from blood samples to used adhesive bandages, must have a written exposure control plan that clearly states necessary precautions to protect employees. Under OSHA regulations, the use of infection control precautions in the health care setting is required and must follow the same universal blood and body fluid precautions for infection control recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for hospitals. These regulations include the appropriate disposal of contaminated needles and sharp instruments through the use of a mechanical device or puncture-resistant, labeled, or color-coded leakproof containers. Blood cannot pass the burden of his negligence to his medical assistant. He is in violation of OSHA regulations. He will be fined.  A shortage in the supply of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared sharps disposal containers may occur during the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign or as a result of other causes. Healthcare facilities and COVID-19 vaccination sites must use sharps disposal containers that meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens standard requirements to dispose of contaminated needles and other sharps. Use FDA-cleared containers whenever possible. Conserve your FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers to help avoid a potential supply shortage. If FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers are unavailable, then consider using alternative containers that meet the OSHA requirements after checking your state’s specific disposal requirements at SafeNeedleDisposal.orgexternal icon and discussing disposal options with your medical waste vendors. FIRST: Conserve your FDA-cleared sharps disposal containersPlace only sharps (as defined in OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard, for example, contaminated syringes, needles, lancets, scalpels, infusion needle sets, connection needles, auto-injectors) in sharps disposal containers.
SECOND: Follow these procedures when FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers are scarceNOTE: Once the availability of FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers returns to normal, healthcare facilities and COVID-19 vaccination sites should promptly resume usual practices.
Alternative sharps disposal containers must meet OSHA requirements and may include:
Report supply shortages to the FDAThe FDA encourages health care facilities to report any supply disruptions of sharps disposal containers to the device shortages mailbox . This mailbox is monitored closely and is a valuable resource to augment FDA efforts to detect and mitigate potential supply chain disruptions. Which procedure requires a medical assistant to use aseptic techniques?Healthcare professionals use aseptic technique when they are:. performing surgical procedures.. performing biopsies.. dressing surgical wounds or burns.. suturing wounds.. inserting a urinary catheter, wound drain, intravenous line, or chest tube.. administering injections.. using instruments to conduct a vaginal examination.. Which solution will a medical assistant use for cleaning instruments after surgery?What is the best method of cleaning these instruments? Because sanitization and disinfection of some instruments during minor surgery are not possible, a medical assistant rinses them well, places them in cold water, and adds a blood solvent and a mild detergent.
When performing hand hygiene What is the minimum amount of time a medical assistant should spend using soap and water?When cleaning your hands with soap and water, wet your hands first with water, apply the amount of product recommended by the manufacturer to your hands, and rub your hands together vigorously for at least 15 seconds, covering all surfaces of the hands and fingers.
What is the minimum amount of time the assistant should flush their eyes?What action should the medical assistant take to prevent the spread of infection? Flush eyes at an eyewash station for at least 15 minutes.
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