Services: bloodborne | Bloodborne Pathogens | citation | hazard assessment | inspection | OSHA | Right to Know | safety programs | safety training
OSHA showed up at the door of a dry cleaners in response to a complaint. The owner had never been through an OSHA inspection and had never having worked with a safety consultant, so didn’t know what to expect. He did his best to get through the inspection and understand the concerns. Once the inspector left, the owner waited for the citation.
When the citation arrived about two weeks later, the owner learned his company was cited by OSHA for lack of a Right to Know program and for lack of training on laundry chemicals and on infectious agents (the latter because employees working with dirty laundry could be exposed to blood, feces, or vomit). He didn’t know what to do. He asked other business owners, one of whom recommended that he call CHESS.
He hired CHESS on October 9. The company’s abatement date was October 11. Working with the company and the OSHA inspector, CHESS helped them secure an extension until October 30. CHESS then worked with them to develop procedures to protect employees from exposure to infectious agents. CHESS also
- Developed the required written Right to Know/Hazard Communication program
- Developed the Bloodborne Pathogens program, extending bloodborne pathogens to cover other infectious agents.
- Provided training on the chemical and biological hazards, as well as on heat exposure (laundries get hot in the summer. Employees had reported cases of heat exhaustion).
- Drafted OSHA’s mandatory progress report, showing that all citations were abated, for the owner to submit to OSHA the day before the deadline.