OSHA Targets Nursing Homes--Again.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) might be knocking on your facility's door soon, and they won't be there to discuss your view on proposed ergonomics standards.

According to Mark Dreux, a partner in the OSHA Group with the law firm Arent Fox, OSHA will be inspecting 4,000 work sites with a Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDH) rate at or above 14.0, including nursing homes (the LWDII rate is determined by dividing lost workday injuries and illnesses by the number of hours worked multiplied by 200,000). The inspections are in response to OSHA's Site Specific Targeting 2001 Compliance Directive, and unlike directives released in the past, the 2001 Directive does not limit the number of nursing homes that can be inspected. OSHA is targeting these high-injury-rate facilities specifically because, according to Dreux, "It's an attempt at efficient utilization of their [OSHA's] limited resources.

Facilities facing inspection will receive a form letter telling them that an unannounced visit will occur in the next year. "The point of the letter is that hopefully people will start to act and address some of their problems," says Dreux, who recommends that facilities begin to immediately address the cause of their high injury and illness rate, examine their safety and health programs, educate management on the inspection process and train personnel to minimize disruption in care-giving routines during the inspection.

Facilities face citations and possibly hefty fines, perhaps $70,000 per employee in extreme cases, for noncompliance.