Research

A brief history of the OSHA standard

OSHA standards are based on Blood borne Pathogens and these standards were issued in 1991. Exposure to blood borne pathogens has affected the working environment in health care facilities and health care workers face health care risks (Acello & Brenda, 2). The OSHA standard has precaution guidelines for preventing and protecting workers from pathogens infection. All employees in health care facilities are protected by the standards. OSHA was passed by the Congress in 1970 and it was amended in 1990(Acello & Brenda, 2). The OSHA standard was improved and it adopted the principles of Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that Blood infectious materials cause health risks through transmitting diseases. HIV and HBV have caused a big threat to the health care workers and this condition has increased the attention for prevention and control (Acello & Brenda, 3). The purpose of the law was to protect the American workers from hazards which may affect life. The OSHA polices were made to ensure that  employees work in a  safe environment  and it was concluded that safety can be fostered  if; employers  create safety program which will assist in reducing health hazards,  If both employees and employers have responsibility in  maintaining a health working conditions,  If the secretary of labor in U.S  creates a  commission and mandatory rules and if new innovative methods  for dealing with safety problems are developed (Acello & Brenda, 5).

The Blood borne standards state that;

• Employers must create a control plan and use the technological control in preventing occupational exposure which has affected employees.
• Employers must offer education and training programs to assist employees understand the occupational risks and methods of control (Acello & Brenda, 3).
• Employers should provide medical evaluation, clothing and equipment after exposure.
• Employers should allow employee take voluntary HBV vaccine and should provide them with precautions for HIV and HBV prevention.
• Employers should ensure products have warning labels for hazard identification.
• Employers should maintain a high level of confidentiality with employees’ information and keep safe employee training and medical records (Acello & Brenda, 3).

 

The standard for food service warehouse

 OSHA standard for food service warehouse state that food and beverage in a warehouse should not be consumed if they are stored in place where there are toxic substances. According to OSHA, toxic substances are materials inside a warehouse (Kulwiec, 664). For example, the picnic tables found in warehouses are illegal and it is recommended that warehouse management should follow OSHA regulations and design areas for food services. Areas with warehouse food services have vending machine and OSHA regulations state that there should be separate facilities for every person and the distance should be approximately 200ft from the main facility (Kulwiec, 665). In addition, there should be good warehouse layout to ensure effective warehouse operations, material accessibility, labor efficiencies and security. Standard for food service warehouse are provided to create a good housekeeping, to ensure quality economic storage, effective handling of materials and to maximize utilization of space (Kulwiec, 665).  The standards also states that the methodology for warehouse layout should be as a follows; identify the location obstacles such as utilities, elevator shafts and more before planning the layout. Second, receiving and shipping areas must be set for maximizing efficiency. Third, areas for material storage should be set for labor efficiency, material storage and space maximization.  Fourth, storage location should be set in the layout for effectively planning the alternative layout for other activities (Kulwiec, 665). Last, warehouse evaluation should be done to assess the desired objectives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited

 

Kulwiec, Raymond A. Materials Handling Handbook. New York: Wiley, 1985. Print.

 

Acello, Barbara, and Brenda Goodner. The Osha Handbook: Guidelines for Compliance in Health Care

Facilities and Interpretive Guidelines for the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. Clifton Park, N.Y:

Thomson/Delmar Learning, 2002. Print.