Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 263 inspections for violations relating to the coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties of more than $3.5 million, the DOL said in a Dec. 11 press release. Inspections have led the agency to cite employers for failures to: implement a written respiratory protection program; provide workers with a respirator fit […]

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is updating its inspection program that directs agency enforcement resources to establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses. The Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Directive is OSHA’s primary targeting program for non-construction establishments with 20 or more employees. The agency selects establishments based on injury and illness data employers submitted on Form 300A for calendar years 2017-2019. The new directive […]

Look for the Biden administration to put health data privacy and security on the front burner next year. As attorney general for California, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Designate Xavier Becerra developed a track record as a proponent of consumer privacy initiatives. Most recently, his office developed and implemented the regulations for the roll-out of the California Consumer Privacy Act. He also took an active role in new laws addressing privacy and […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the resources and exposed the vulnerabilities of many hospitals as they confront the most serious global health crisis in over a century. Controlling the spread of this highly contagious virus while treating infected patients and protecting staff is fundamental to the mission of every healthcare facility. Yet infection control remains one of the most challenging aspects of hospital operations. Each year, healthcare-associated infections impact 1.7 million patients at U.S. acute […]