Nursing Homes Among OSHA's '07 Targets

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that its 2007 inspection plan will focus on about 4,150 high-hazard work sites in its primary list for unannounced comprehensive inspections for the coming year.

OSHA 2007 Site-Specific Targeting plan will inspect nursing homes and personal care facilities, but only the highest 50 percent of rated establishments will be included on the primary list. Inspections will focus primarily on ergonomic hazards relating to resident handling; exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials; exposure to tuberculosis; and slips, trips, and falls.

This year's program stems from the agency's Data Initiative for 2006, which surveyed about 80,000 employers to obtain their injury and illness numbers for 2005. The program initially will cover work sites on the primary list that reported 11 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer for every 100 full-time employees. This is know as the DART rate.

The primary list also will include sites based on a Days Away from Work Injury and Illness (DAFWII) rate of 9 or higher. Employers not on the primary list who reported DART rates of between 7 and 11, or DAFWII rates of between 4 and 9, will be placed on a secondary list for possible inspection.

The agency also will randomly select and inspect about 100 workplaces nationwide with 100 or more employees that reported low injury and illness rates for the purpose of reviewing the actual degree of compliance with OSHA requirements. OSHA selects these establishments from those industries with DART and DAFWII rates higher than the national rate.

Finally, the primary list will include some establishments that did not respond to the 2006 data survey.

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