The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently investigated a serious case of violations of worker safety standards that led to a 31-year-old factory employee who developed accelerated silicosis ultimately needing a double lung transplant. Other workers at the same home-products manufacturing facility in Chicago also reported unresolved lung disease from breathing silica dust, including severe illness that will require a lung transplant for at least one more employee in the future. Urgent care operators have ample opportunities to help their local communities ensure worker health and safety beyond the ubiquitous annual flu shot, says Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM. “Occupational medicine in an urgent care setting can help employers remain compliant with OSHA standards while also protecting the health of the nation’s workforce by offering services such as baseline testing and medical surveillance of caustic substances, respirator fit testing, on-site review of ergonomics, and preventive measures,” he says.
Within your own space: OSHA standards also apply to healthcare settings. The most recent statistics on ambulatory healthcare citations from OSHA reveal that there were 46 citations between October 2022 and September 2023 resulting in $1.5 million in fines. The top 3 citations include violations involving respiratory protection, bloodborne pathogen protection, and hazard communication. In January, OSHA’s maximum penalties for “serious” and “other-than-serious” violations increased to $16,131 per violation, and the maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations increased to $161,323 per violation.