By Dan Scungio As a safety professional, we know performing risk assessments is worth it—it is an integral piece of managing a safety program. Assessing risks and identifying … [Read more...]
Compliance Alert
OSHA Orders Inspectors to Use the Hammer to Enforce New COVID-19 Protocols
September 2, 2021
On June 21, OSHA issued a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring labs, hospitals and other providers to take extensive measures to protect frontline workers against risk of COVID-19 … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
Four Motivators Every Lab Safety Professional Should Know
August 15, 2021
By Dan Scungio If you search for top motivational movie speeches, you will see things that might work in real life. The President’s speech from Independence Day (1996), for example, might influence … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
3 unwritten safety rules every lab should follow
July 18, 2021
By Dan Scungio Many years ago, a woman purchased a cup of coffee in a restaurant drive-through. Not having a cup holder available in her car, she placed the cup between her legs to hold the coffee … [Read more...]
TOOL
Tool: Model COVID-19 Workplace Hazard Assessment Policy
June 30, 2021
Among other things, the new OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requires labs and other covered employers to conduct a workplace hazard assessment to identify COVID-19 hazards. Here’s a Model … [Read more...]
Compliance Alert
Take 15 Steps to Comply with New OSHA Emergency Health Care Worker Protection Requirements
June 28, 2021
During the Trump administration, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came under heavy criticism for not doing enough to protect health care and other essential workers … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
A Code Call for Your Lab Co-worker
June 24, 2021
By Dan Scungio The lab employee felt faint in the middle of her shift and she sat down quickly on the lab stool. She asked to be taken to the Emergency Department, so her co-worker rolled her down … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
The Three Laws of Sharps Safety
May 23, 2021
By Dan Scungio In Isaac Asimov’s writings about science, he created “the three laws,” a set of rules designed by humans that robots must follow in that fictional society. Robots cannot harm human … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
FDA Reverses Course on Lab Worker Re-Use of N95 Masks
May 10, 2021
For decades, the N95 filtered mask has been a vital piece of personal protective equipment for lab, hospital and other frontline medical workers. But for months, shortages of that precious item which … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives
Can You Require Lab Employees to Prove They Received the COVID-19 Vaccine?
May 10, 2021
"No Person May Gain Entry to the Laboratory Without Furnishing Proof of Their -19 Vaccination Status" Normally, a sign like this would be highly problematic. Heck, simply asking employees if they’ve … [Read more...]
