Working Well

Workplace health and safety achievement award winners

Karen O'Hara — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:36:12 +0000

There never can be enough appreciation shown for all the good work you do. That’s why we created the UL PureSafety Customer Achievement Award to recognize our customers for their commitment to safe, healthful and environmentally sound workplaces. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients, who were announced Sept. 20 at our annual User Summit. Baptist [...]

Hey there, healthcare workers: Have you had your Flu shot?

Karen O'Hara — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:52:01 +0000

Fall flu vaccination campaigns are already in full swing in communities and at workplaces around the country. It won’t be long before hospitals will be required to report influenza vaccination rates among healthcare personnel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data summaries must be submitted via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) [...]

ICD-10 update

Karen O'Hara — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:40:37 +0000

It’s official (again). The compliance date for implementation of ICD-10 has been postponed from Oct. 1, 2013, to Oct. 1, 2014, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ICD-9 will be replaced by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for diagnosis coding and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, [...]

First Katrina, then the oil….

Dr. Scott Harris — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:11:36 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) routinely prepares for and responds to hurricanes and related events. Key Agency personnel and contractors mobilize to the areas of concern prior to impact and position resources strategically to (a) survive the storm and (b) have immediate access into the stricken areas as soon as possible. This “Rapid Needs [...]

Worker safety and pivotal points in history

Langdon Dement — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:46:53 +0000

Monday, September 3, is set apart to recognize the social and economic achievements of workers. Over 100 years ago, on September 5, 1882, the first Labor Day was observed in New York City. Although the founder of Labor Day is not exactly known, it is clear that the Central Labor Union adopted Labor Day as [...]

Carrier fire, the evolution of OSHA

Dr. Scott Harris — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:35:51 +0000

That’s all the title had in it: “Carrier Fire.” I got this email from my father two years ago and read it with great appreciation. Dad was a marine before he was a firefighter, and as I’ve told many people many times, he never really saw the difference. I grew up running around the firehouse [...]

Isaac & Katrina

Dr. Scott Harris — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:39:36 +0000

Hurricane Isaac is right now working its way across the gulf coast. Seven years ago today, so was a full category 5 Hurricane Katrina. Luckily, Isaac doesn’t look to make it beyond a category 1 and the area is much better prepared. In 2005, however, that was not the case: New Orleans would be a [...]

De-stressing depositions in contested cases

Dr. William Newkirk — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:51:10 +0000

I used to give weekly depositions on the status of patients who were referred to me for the resolution of contested workers’ compensation cases. When a workers’ compensation claim is litigated, human resource, occupational health and safety professionals often are subpoenaed to testify to help shed light on disputed aspects of the case. Usually their [...]

Healthcare employee illness and injury rates – infographic

Craig Frailey — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:08:27 +0000

In my previous blog, we explored the staggering statistics around workplace injuries and illnesses. The data showed that healthcare employees are more likely to suffer a work-related injury/illness than employees in sectors traditionally thought to be extremely dangerous — such as mining or construction. More than 13.7 million people work in healthcare in the U.S. — [...]

Needlestick & sharps risks require constant vigilance

Karen O'Hara — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 12:30:34 +0000

A nurse-friend of mine who recently assumed responsibility for workers’ compensation case management in a regional health system reports needlestick and sharps injuries – not musculoskeletal disorders – are the bane of her existence. Many others are walking the same mile in her moccasins. Research shows the significant decline in injuries that followed adoption of [...]