Contact Us

We work with healthcare providers who want to sleep well at night, confident that their staff is working in the safest possible environment.

Our mission is to set your mind at ease so that you can focus on your practice.

Phone:

(858) 761-6419

Email:

jon.rudin@sdhealthcarecompliance.com

Hours:

Mon – Fri: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Frequently Asked Questions

Will our office receive notification of an OSHA inspection beforehand?

Inspections can be conducted without notifying your office in advance. Remember that a disgruntled employee or patient can lodge a complaint with OSHA about your office failing to comply with regulations. OSHA may decide to come unannounced to inspect your office. San Diego Healthcare Compliance provides its clients with comprehensive training and support services to create the safest possible work environment and deal effectively with an OSHA inspection.

What could generate an OSHA inspection of our office?

There are three reasons for an OSHA inspection: 1) A complaint from a disgruntled current or former employee; 2) A complaint from an unhappy patient; and 3) A routine, unannounced compliance check. There are three reasons for an OSHA inspection: 1) A complaint from a disgruntled current or former employee; 2) A complaint from an unhappy patient; and 3) A routine, unannounced compliance check.

What is OSHA's General Duty Clause and why should I care about it?

The General Duty Clause of the Federal OSH Act requires that you, the employer, ensure all your employees are working in a safe environment – free from any hazard that can cause death or serious physical harm. Your responsibility covers safety issues, even when there are no specific regulations covering those hazards. San Diego Healthcare Compliance provides customized training and comprehensive audits of your facility to keep your employees safe and help you comply with OSHA’s General Duty Clause.

What are examples of OSHA and safety records I should keep in the office?

Here is a sample of the documentation that you should keep in your office: Worksite injury and illness records; Details of the training sessions; Equipment maintenance and repair records; Records of safety meetings; Disciplinary action taken for safety infractions; Current and past safety policies; Employee safety suggestions and their follow-up; Accident investigation reports and follow-up action; and Risk Assessments.

I heard that because OSHA is understaffed they do not inspect healthcare practices. Is our office really at risk?

While OSHA may be understaffed, all it takes is for one employee to be exposed to a preventable but serious or life-threatening situation to quickly become a nightmare. Imagine the legal consequences if one of your employees is blinded by a chemical exposure to the eyes – remember that ALL exposures are preventable. As one prominent safety expert put it, “I don’t want to have to read about YOUR OFFICE in the newspapers!” Unhappy patients and disgruntled employees can submit a report about your office to OSHA.

What are your employees’ rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act?

Your employees are entitled to work conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm. To ensure a safe and healthful workplace, OSHA also requires that your employees have the right to: Receive information and training about hazards at your office, preventive methods, and OSHA regulations that apply to your office; Receive copies of monitoring and test results performed to identify hazards at your office; Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses; Receive copies of their employee medical records; File confidential complaints with OSHA to have your office inspected; Participate in your office’s OSHA inspection and speak privately with the inspector, and; File a complaint with OSHA for retaliation or discrimination as a result of requesting an inspection of your office.

I’ve seen OSHA courses available online and on DVD, offered by the local professional societies, and even presented at state meetings. Taking any of these courses meets OSHA requirements, right?

WRONG! OSHA would likely be happy that you are learning GENERAL safety concepts presented in these courses. And, you will likely receive CE credit for the course. However, taking a GENERAL course does not comply with OSHA regulations. These regulations stipulate that training is provided onsite with the opportunity to interact with and ask questions of a qualified presenter. San Diego Healthcare Compliance carries out a comprehensive, rigorous audit of your facility BEFORE the presentation to address compliance issues during the training that are directly related to YOUR office.

What advantages are there to having OSHA training provided at our office?

In addition to complying with OSHA’s requirement for an onsite training and avoiding fines for failing to comply, San Diego Healthcare Compliance performs a detailed inspection of your office. We identify areas in which your employees are at risk of injury and you are at risk for substantial fines ($12,934 per infraction). In addition, your employees will be well trained in best practices for safe work habits, minimizing exposures to bloodborne and airborne diseases, dangerous chemicals, and more. Your office will project a high level of competence and professionalism that will be appreciated by both your patients and employees.

One of our medical supply vendors provides OSHA training online. Why shouldn't I just use that vendor to train our staff?

Just as in healthcare practice, specialization is valuable and often preferred. At San Diego Healthcare Compliance, staying current in the complex world of safety compliance regulation is our full-time job. We are constantly researching the latest regulations, enrolling in safety courses, and attending safety association meetings. We focus on delivering high-quality, interactive, and entertaining OSHA compliance training to healthcare practices.

We are a very small practice with just one full-time employee and one part-timer. Because of our small size, OSHA waives the need for us to have training, right?

WRONG! A practice with any number of employees is required to follow OSHA regulations.

Why does my office need OSHA training?

All healthcare facility employers are required by both Federal and California OSHA to provide training at least annually to employees at risk for exposure to a variety of unsafe conditions. Conditions include bloodborne pathogens, aerosol transmissible diseases, hazardous chemicals, broken equipment, tripping hazards, and workplace violence. This required training must be interactive and provided onsite by a qualified instructor.

Our office only needs to train the medical staff and not the admin people, right?

OSHA requires that all staff, including medical, admin, research, and clinical, be trained on safety practices if they are at risk in any way. When San Diego Healthcare Compliance trains our clients, we ensure that employees are trained appropriately by emphasizing job-specific safety requirements and best practices.

I prefer to let my employees to get their hepatitis B vaccination on their own. That’s OK from OSHA’s standpoint, correct?

As the employer, you should ensure that your employees are trained on the risks of hepatitis B exposure and the benefits of immunity. Employers must offer the vaccine and titer at no charge to all employees at risk of exposure to the hepatitis B virus.

Can our employees decline a hepatitis B vaccine?

OSHA regulations require employers to offer the hepatitis B vaccine and titer. Unless you have decided that being vaccinated for hepatitis B is a condition of employment, employees CAN elect not to be vaccinated. Employees choosing not to have the vaccination should sign the declination form. San Diego Healthcare Compliance provides its clients with the forms necessary to document vaccination requests and declinations.

If my employees decline the hepatitis B vaccine when I offer it, can they request it at a later date?

If your employees decline the vaccine and change their minds later, they can request the vaccine. And, the opposite is also true: if your employees initially decided to receive the vaccine, they can decide later to decline it.

What must I do for an employee who has just experienced a needle-stick or other exposure incident?

During our training sessions, we cover the detailed process that should be followed after an exposure incident. First, it is critical that the exposed person’s blood is tested as soon as possible to establish baseline levels for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. Second, source patients willing to be tested should be sent for testing right away. In the past, obtaining written consent from the source patients was strongly recommended. However, it is now considered best practice to ask them to be tested rather than requiring them to sign a consent form. While a feature of San Diego Healthcare Compliance’s training sessions covers the prevention of exposure incidents, our customized office OSHA manual contains all the forms necessary to document the entire process.

Should I appoint an OSHA safety officer in my facility?

Yes. As part of maintaining OSHA compliance, it is recommended to appoint at least one staff member for this position. Officer duties include creating plans to ensure employee safety. Optimally, two individuals should be assigned to this role so that the position is covered if one officer is absent. San Diego Healthcare Compliance assists our clients’ safety officers in setting up and maintaining their office’s safety program.

Can our staff earn Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) from your training?

Yes! San Diego Healthcare Compliance is authorized by the Dental Board of California to provide 2.0 CEU’s to each training participant with an RDA, RDH, and DMD/DDS license. These CEU’s can be used when applying for your biennial license renewal.

© 2018 · San Diego Healthcare Compliance