OSHA Inspection: WOLCOTT HALL NURSING CENTER

Issued

Nov 3, 2005

Abate by

Dec 22, 2005

Penalty

Initial $2,975 · Current $1,488 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from
recognized hazards that
were causing or likely to cause serious physical harm to employees in that
employees were
performing tasks that have caused or were likely to cause musculoskeletal
disorders (MSDs):
A.On or about May 3, 2005 and at times prior thereto, and continuing to
November 2,
2005, employees, including the Certified Nursing Assistants who work at
Wolcott Hall
Nursing Center in Torrington, Connecticut, performed repeated
lifting/lowering, pushing,
pulling, bending, reaching, twisting and other tasks associated with
resident transfers and
repositioning.  These actions, performed by employees to transfer and/or
reposition
partial weight-bearing residents and non-weight bearing residents, exposed
employees to
hazards which had caused, are causing, or are likely to cause
musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs) involving the back and shoulders.
Abatement:  Although some ergonomics related risk factors may be reduced
or eliminated by
implementing a single means of abatement, in most cases a process that
includes analysis of the
worksite, instituting appropriate controls, providing appropriate response
to employee injuries,
and training and education (in both recognition of hazard and injury and
of avoidance of injury)
will provide the most effective method of addressing the risk factors. The
employer may adopt
any measures that are effective in substantially reducing or eliminating
the hazard.
Abatement controls include engineering, training and education, and
administrative and work
practice controls.
Engineering controls:  Some examples of engineering controls include:  The
availability and use
of an adequate number of mechanical lift-assist devices as well as
transfer and repositioning
devices, which include, but are not limited to: low-friction slip sheets,
pivot
transfer devices,
slide boards, double-handled gait belts, as well as specialized equipment
for use with residents
with special needs (i.e., bariatric residents). Modifying/renovating
toilet facilities to
accommodate resident handling devices or obtaining devices with a smaller
footprint to fit into
existing facilities.
Training and Education:  Examples of training and education include:
Providing training to new
employees and retraining existing employees who are responsible for
transferring and
repositioning residents, stressing the importance of reporting
musculoskeletal injuries, providing
regular feedback to injured employees on corrective actions in order to
prevent future injuries,
training in the appropriate use of mechanical lift-assist, transfer, and
repositioning devices, and
training in identifying and reporting malfunctioning lift assist equipment
or any other conditions
that could cause or contribute to injuries to the employees.
Administrative Controls:  Examples of administrative controls that may
apply to this facility
include: 1. Develop and implement a preventative maintenance program to
ensure that all
mechanical lift and transfer devices are properly maintained and promptly
repaired. 2. Develop
and enforce a policy requiring the use of transfer and repositioning
devices when a resident's
care plan documents the need. 3. Assure that the resident's care plan
addresses transfer and
positioning assistance needs, and that the CNAs are aware of such needs.
The care plan must
be kept current.  4. Develop a plan for the replacement of manually
operated beds with poweroperated beds.
Work Practice Controls:  Some examples of work practice controls that may
apply to this
workplace include:  Monitor resident repositioning to ensure that, where
required, it is
performed by a minimum of two persons in accordance with the company
policy. Manual lifting
of totally dependant residents by nursing staff will be prohibited unless
exeptional circumstances
dictate otherwise, for example, emergency situations or medical necessity,
or resident refusal
to allow the use of mechanical devices.

Issued

Nov 2, 2005

Abate by

May 5, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,083 · Current $542 Reduced

Issued

Nov 2, 2005

Abate by

May 5, 2005

Issued

Nov 2, 2005

Abate by

May 5, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,083

Issued

Nov 2, 2005

Abate by

Nov 7, 2005

Issued

Nov 2, 2005

Abate by

Nov 7, 2005