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Fall 2002
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OHA Asks Members
to Join Pollution Prevention Efforts
The OHA Environmental Leadership
Council has received an Environmental Protection Agency grant extension, giving
OHA members another opportunity to participate in the Mercury Elimination
Resolution. Hospital support of this effort will help ensure that OHA and its
members will continue to be leaders in pollution prevention in Ohio.
Twenty heath care organizations have
submitted a resolution or a survey showing that they are working to eliminate
mercury in health care by 2005, and others are encouraged to become part of this
effort. OHA would like to thank participating hospitals for their pollution
prevention efforts.
Hospitals interested in adopting this
resolution can fill out the survey and sign the resolution located at www.ohanet.org/p2/.
A complete listing of the hospitals that have adopted a resolution or completed
the survey is also available at the above Web site.
OHA has also started a listserv and
members are invited to join and ask questions and get the conversation rolling.
To join go to www.groups.yahoo.com/group/OHA_P2/.
Senate Passes Mercury Bill, S.351
The U.S. Senate unanimously
passed S. 351 on Sept. 5. The bill will phase out sales of mercury thermometers,
except by prescription, within 180 days after enactment and improve management
of surplus mercury. The bill authorizes $20 million in funds for a grant program
to states and other appropriate parties for collection of mercury thermometers
and thermometer exchange programs. In addition, S.351 creates a Federal
interagency task force to make recommendations regarding the proper management
of surplus mercury. The bill also authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency
to spend $1 million per year to manage surplus mercury.
The Medical Community supports the
proposal put forth by Sen. Susan Collins (R–ME) and shepherded through the
U.S. Senate by Sens. James Jeffords (I-VT), and John Kerry (D-VT).
To view S. 351 as presented to the U.S.
Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee (EPW) or a summary of the bill,
visit www.mercurypolicy.org.
To check state laws and local ordinance banning sales of mercury fever
thermometers, as well as resolutions on mercury by various health groups, see www.noharm.org/index.cfm?page_ID=14#state.
Fuel Cells Present New Energy Option
to Hospitals
OHA and the Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer Commission co-hosted
a meeting on the potential use of fuel cells in Ohio hospitals. Fuel cells are a
possible alternative to hospitals’ emergency generators and are currently used
in more than 15 U.S. hospitals, though none in Ohio. Fuel cells can be used for
most applications where energy is required, even for pacemakers. Falling prices
and possible subsidies from both public and private entities would also make the
fuel cells more attractive to Ohio hospitals.
Representatives at the meeting hope to
see fuel cell demonstration projects hosted by Ohio hospitals within the next
two years. A work group will propose such a project by the end of this year.
NASA, electric utility companies and
other organizations are also researching fuel cells. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft supports
the Ohio Fuel Cell Technology Coalition and has proposed legislation to increase
the development of this technology (see article in Summer, 2002 EnviroNews), For
additional information on fuel cells visit www.utcfuelcells.com/fuelcell/benefits_fl.shtml.
OSHA Program to Assess Ergonomic,
Infection Risks at Nursing Facilities
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) announced a new program to focus outreach efforts and
inspections on specific hazards, such as ergonomics, in nursing and personal
care facilities with high injury and illness rates. The National Emphasis
Program (NEP) will focus its efforts and inspections primarily on hazards most
prevalent in the facilities, including: ergonomics related to resident handling;
exposure to blood and other infectious materials; exposure to tuberculosis; and
slips and falls. OSHA is planning to inspect approximately 1,000 facilities
under the NEP. OSHA will focus its resources on those nursing and personal care
facilities that have 14 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in lost work
days or restricted activity for every 100 full-time workers. OSHA Administrator
John Henshaw said these facilities rank among the highest for injuries and
illnesses, with rates about two and half times that of all other general
industries. For more information visit www.osha.gov/.
Needlestick Safety Becomes Increasingly
Important
Hospitals may have one more impetus to keep their employees safe from
needlestick injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
last month clarified its position on the removal of contaminated needles and is
expected to start inspecting hospitals in several states for compliance with the
Needlestick Safety Act. In a letter of interpretation, OSHA clarified the
blood-borne pathogen standard that requires blood tube holders with needles
attached to be immediately discarded into a sharps container after the safety
feature is activated. Bending, recapping or removing contaminated needles is
prohibited unless no other alternative is feasible. An OSHA press release and
the letter are available at www.osha.gov/media/oshnews/june02/trade-20020612A.html.
Also working on the issue is the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), which is soliciting comments from interested
parties to determine what actions, if any, should be taken to protect health
care workers from needlesticks. The FDA, which regulates medical devices, is
also looking for comments on requests from the Public Citizens’ Health
Research Group and the Service Employees International Union. The two groups
submitted a joint petition calling on the FDA to ban IV catheters (that do not
meet the criteria identified in the FDA’s April 16, 1992 safety alert), glass
capillary tubes, and IV infusion equipment that does not use needless technology
or recessed needles. Comments were due by Sept. 18, but the FDA may accept
comments after this date. They can be submitted online at www.fda.gov/dockets/ecomments.
The FDA’s request for comments was published in the June 20 Federal Register.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Fines Missouri Hospital
The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) plans to fine the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis
$6000 for improper disposal of low-level radioactive waste and for failing to
notify the commission when it learned of the improper disposal.
Medical center staff placed radioactive
waste in a normal waste container instead of a special container designated for
radioactive waste on two occasions in March. The radioactive material entered
the municipal solid waste stream, where it was discovered at a landfill.
The Illinois Department of Nuclear
Safety informed NRC of the discoveries. On April 11 the medical center’s staff
determined that in one case two millicuries of iodine-131, twice the minimum
quantity that requires immediate notification, was sent out in trash. However,
NRC was not informed until April 30, according to the regulatory agency. The
second incident did not require immediate notification.
The amount of radioactive material was
small and it is unlikely anyone received significant exposure, according to the
NRC. Note that such incidents in Ohio are regulated by the Ohio Department of
Health, Bureau of Radiation Protection. Article attributed to www.wastenews.com.
Mercury Alert: Ohio Cuts Fish
Advisories
Ohio has changed its program
that warns the public about how much and how often pollution-contaminated fish
should be eaten.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH)
abolished its fish-consumption advisory program in early August to save
$100,000. It is the first Great Lakes state to eliminate the alert, one
environmentalist said.
Advisories have been based on fish
samples collected annually by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Fish are tested for pesticides, mercury
and other toxic chemicals.
The Ohio EPA will continue to assess
fish samples to evaluate which waterways are meeting goals of the federal Clean
Water Act. But ODH will no longer assess the effect of contamination on humans,
because the staff member dedicated to that task have been reassigned due to the
state budget crisis.
The state will also no longer print
consumption advisories on posters and brochures given to anglers when they buy
fishing licenses.
Pollution has contaminated the sediment
in many Ohio streams, rivers, and lakes. These chemicals build up in a fish’s
fatty tissue. Mercury is one such chemical.
Warnings based on data collected over
the past five years will remain on the department’s Web site at www.odh.state.oh.us/alerts/fishadv.pdf.
ODH had to cut $12.3 million from its
budget as part of state budget cuts. The department chose to preserve core
health programs.
Infectious Waste Rule Changes
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a few changes in their
infectious waste rules. The rules are posted at www.epa.state.oh.us/dsiwm/pages/draft_rule.html.
Please review, or have the appropriate person at your hospital review, the
proposed changes. Separately, OHA is reviewing the infectious waste statutes
with the goal of seeking legislative changes. Your suggestions are invited.
Worker’s Comp University Starts Soon
The Ohio Bureau of Worker’s
Compensation is offering free classes at seven locations statewide to help
employers, health care providers and injured workers more effectively navigate
the worker’s compensation program. Many of the seminars offered are being
submitted for contact hours and continuing education credits. Topics include
changes in Occupational Safety and Health Administration record keeping
requirements, workplace safety resources, worker’s compensation fraud,
employers’ and providers’ roles in injury management, and more. Participants
can register online at www.ohiobwc.com.
Call 1.800.466.6292 or visit the Web site for more information. The third annual
Workers’ Comp University is available at the following locations:
Sept. 17—Cambridge
Sept. 19—Youngstown
Sept. 24—Columbus
Oct. 8—Cincinnati
Oct. 16—Dayton
Oct. 17—Toledo
Oct. 22—Cleveland
Hold the Dates
The Environmental Leadership Council of the Ohio Hospital Association will
again be offering a two-and-a-half day Pollution Prevention and Waste Training
Program on Nov. 18-20 and Nov. 18 the half-day program, Producing Pollution
Prevention and Waste Plans, will be offered. Both programs are being hosted by
East Liverpool City Hospital in East Liverpool.
Audio Tapes Available
OHA has hosted a series of telephone briefings to assist you with EPA
regulatory compliance, waste stream management and volume reduction, mercury
elimination and pollution prevention. Audio tapes of those telephone briefings
are available for $5 each, including shipping and handling. Tapes available: are
JCAHO Standards for Environment of Care; Addressing Hazardous Material, and
Creating a P2 Plan; Surviving an EPA Inspection; Holding a Mercury Thermometer
Exchange; and Green Cleaning, Keeping Score, and Reducing Red Bag Waste.
Contact: Susan Zabo at 614.221.7614 or e-mail susanz@ohanet.org.
OHA EnviroNews
Editors: Rick Sites, OHA
(ricks@ohanet.org)
Glenn McRae,
CGH Environmental Strategies, Inc. (Glennmcrae@aol.com)
Hollie Shaner, RN,
MSA, CGH Environmental Strategies, Inc. (Hshaner@aol.com)
Susan Zabo, OHA (susanz@ohanet.org)
Additional information or copies of any reports cited,
contact Susan Zabo or Rick Sites at 614.221.7614 or by e-mail.
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