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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151.
The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has cited United Health Care System, Newark, N.J., for
failing to correct previously cited violations involving worker exposure to
tuberculosis and formaldehyde and for additional alleged serious hazards. OSHA
proposed total penalties of $168,875.
"Clearly, even initial, first-instance OSHA penalties are
not sufficient to prod some employers into protecting their workers from
obvious workplace hazards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear. "Still, some in Congress want OSHA to take on
merely an advisory role, eliminating any threat of penalties for employers who
correct problems once OSHA finds them.
"But crippling OSHA encourages every employer to wait
until after an inspection to fix problems. In the past 25 years, we've cut the
occupational fatality rate in half. Congress is sending the wrong message to
America's employers."
The hospital, formerly known as United Hospitals Medical
Center, has until Oct. 24 to contest the seven instances of failure to abate
previously cited violations and the nine new alleged serious violations found
during the follow-up inspection, which began April 17.
In its citations against United Health Care System, OSHA
alleges that the hospital did not correct several hazards found in an initial
inspection conducted from June 23 through Dec. 1, 1994. The hospital failed to
install negative-pressure ventilation in tuberculosis isolation rooms, which
potentially exposed health care workers to TB infection. Moreover, the employer
did not provide proper respiratory protection to workers caring for TB patients
in isolation rooms.
"OSHA is deeply concerned about the public health problems
posed by tuberculosis, which is one of the most serious risks to health care
workers. It saddens us to see a health care employer ignoring this risk and
failing to take reasonable steps to protect employees," Dear said.
The hospital also failed to train personnel to respond
properly to an emergency spill of formaldehyde. On at least two occasions
employees had been exposed to the dangers of formaldehyde spills. The most
recent incident resulted in the emergency treatment of five employees.
The failure-to-abate notices carry a total proposed
penalty of $151,375.
OSHA also cited United Health Care system for nine alleged
serious violations following its most recent inspection, including:
- not providing negative-pressure ventilation for a tuberculosis
patient recovery room;
- not providing proper training and equipment to employees designated
to respond to spills of hazardous material;
- not requiring employees to wear proper respirators when entering
rooms with a high risk of tuberculosis exposure;
- not requiring employees to properly fit-test their respirators;
- not preparing a written emergency respiratory protection
program;
- not properly training employees about the health hazards of
formaldehyde;
- not properly guarding machinery.
The alleged serious violations carry a total proposed
penalty of $17,500.
A failure-to-abate violation is a notice of an additional
penalty issued against an employer who has not corrected a violation that has
become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. A
serious violation is defined as a condition where there is a substantial
probability that death or serious physical harm could result.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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