A New Jersey medical facility and its temporary staffing agency have been accused by OSHA of exposing nurses to COVID-19 hazards by failing to ensure the safe use of respirators.
Nurses were giving flu shots and administering COVID-19 tests to potentially infectious patients despite not having had medical evaluations to determine their ability to wear respirators.
Inspectors found the facility and staffing agency also failed to ensure respirator fit testing was done before requiring employees to wear them, according to a Department of Labor news release.
OSHA cited the facility for similar hazards in 2020 after it failed to protect staff providing medical and dental care from COVID-19 hazards.
A contract was made with the staffing agency in October 2020 for temporary nurses to assist full-time staff with administering flu shot vaccinations and up to 300 coronavirus tests each day for patients and the public.
Fines: $273,064 (Lakewood Resource And Referral Center); $13,653 (Homecare Therapies)
Companies: Lakewood Resource And Referral Center, Lakewood, NJ; Homecare Therapies, Manalapan, NJ
Businesses: Outpatient Care Centers (Lakewood Resource And Referral Center); Temporary Help Services (Homecare Therapies)
Reasons for fines:
Lakewood Resource And Referral Center:
Two willful violations for failure to:
- provide medical evaluations to determine if employees could use respirators
- provide fit testing for employees required to wear respirators
Homecare Therapies:
Two serious violations for failure to:
- provide medical evaluations to determine if employees could use respirators
- provide fit testing for employees required to wear respirators
