OSHA Guidelines to Implement When Reopening

Now that many medical practices are reopening, we have created a helpful video to highlight some useful tips on how to ensure your patients’ safety as well as your staff’s post-COVID-19. In our video, our founding partner Jay Shorr, aka “the safety guy”, discusses OSHA guidelines that will help you reopen your practice in the safest manner possible. OSHA has created a blueprint for medical practices that includes Risk Profiles, Workplace Control Categories, and a Risk Pyramid.

To ensure workplace safety during this new normal, you must first assess your Risk Profile. To start you have to create an infectious disease preparedness plan or recycle the old plan you might have had. To do this you have to consider the different sources of COVID-19. These include your employees and your patients that enter the practice. Greater precautions may be necessary if some of your employees utilize public transportation or have spouses who are front-line workers.

Below are four Workplace Control Categories to include in your plan:

1. Engineering Controls: This includes high-efficiency filters that increase ventilation and installing plastic barriers such as sneeze guards.
2. Administration Controls: These are HR policies, safety equipment, and procedure training.
3. Safe Work Practices: Implementing no-touch trashcans, alcohol-based hand rubs, and required hand washing after every patient.
4. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): Supplying gloves, goggles, and face shields.

Finally, there is the Risk Pyramid. This lays out the hazard levels for the different jobs in your office.

• The least risk-averse jobs are ones where the employees do not come in contact with those who may be infected but are not known or expected to be.
• Most employees fall under the lower to medium exposure level. These are employees who may be infected but are not known or expected to be.
• Very high-risk jobs are the healthcare workers who come in contact with patients who are expected to have COVID-19.

To ensure that your employees are aware of all the new protocols and guidelines you should review your company’s work policies on when an employee should work from home or take sick leave, and your policies regarding paid sick leave. Consider staggering work shifts to lower the density in the office during specific times. Lastly, employees should be informed of their right to report any symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19. Have the option of sending employees home immediately if they report symptoms or relocating the employee to a more remote site.

Make sure to read the OSHA guidelines to be aware of the protocols and to ensure that your company is in the best possible position to reopen your practice in the safest manner possible:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html

As a team of award-winning practice management consulting experts, we’re here to help you get back up and running so you can generate revenue and see patients! To learn more about how we can help your aesthetic practice successfully reopen and continue to flourish, check out our online course: OSHA Guidelines to Implement When Reopening.