a)Signage which restricts entry and directs employees to the nurses station was not posted to prevent the employee from entering the suspected Tuberculosis (TB) patient’s room.

b)HVAC Engineers were not required to wear respirators when they worked inside of TB isolation room exhaust air ducts while the isolation room housed suspect or confirmed TB patients.

c)Air from the exhaust ventilation for TB isolation rooms was not exhaustd away from populated areas.

d)The exhaust ventilation for TB isolation rooms shared common ducts with other rooms/areas of the facility and was not filtered.

• Protect employees from biologic hazards as required by WAC 296-800-11045
• Institute policies and procedures based on current CDC recommendations. See WRD 11.35 (41 KB PDF)
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov for all tuberculosis-related questions.

• Make sure your employees use appropriate eye and face protection as required by WAC 296-800-16050 and WAC 296-800-170 Employer Chemical Hazard Communication
• Contact Pam Edwards at 360-902-6457 or edwp235@lni.wa.gov.

• Establish a written energy control program as required by WAC 296-803-20005.
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• Implement a plan to reasonably protect employees from violence as required by RCW 49.19 and WRD 5.07 Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare (51 KB PDF)
•   Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• The accident prevention program did not include a section on workplace violence prevention.
• A written respiratory protection program for was not developed.
  

• Develop and maintain a written program as required by WAC 296-842-12005.
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• Perform a survey as required by WAC 296-62-07721 and RCW 49.26.13.
• Communicate survey results to affected employees and contractors.
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov for all
  asbestos related questions.

• Develop and implement an exposure control plan for your hospital that follows the requirements of WAC 296-823-110.
• Update the plan at least annually to reflect new or modified tasks or procedures that affect occupational exposure and to reflect new or revised employee positions with occupational exposure.
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• Perform a PPE assessment as required by WAC 296-800-160
  and
• Follow the specific requirements for providing and using PPE, such as those requirements found in WAC 296-823-150.
• Documentation of your PPE hazard assessment may be included in the BBP exposure control plan or other external document as long as it is referenced in the exposure control plan.
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• Establish a written hazard communication program
  and
• Inform and train your employees. (see WAC 296-800-170)
• Contact Pam Edwards at 360-902-6457 or edwp235@lni.wa.gov.

• Identify areas where chemical usage requires an emergency shower and/or eyewash facility to be and make sure appropriate emergency washing is provided (see WAC 296-800-15030 through –15040).
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov for all asbestos related questions.

• Establish a safety committee with employee representation (see WAC-296-800-130).
• Contact John Furman at 360-902-5666 or furk235@lni.wa.gov

• Phones: inoperative, stating wrong location.
• Test logs: missing, incomplete.
• Failure to test smoke alarm system annually.
• Operating Permits: not posted, expired.
• Wet pits.
• Emergency lights/alarm inoperative.
• Door detector edges not functioning properly.
• Materials stored in machine rooms.
• Keys for elevator operation not on job site.
• Intercom not working properly.

• Ensure these items are addressed through routine maintenance and care for the condition of your conveyance.
• Contact the Elevator program

Frequent problems identified in inspections of boilers and pressure vessels at hospitals:

• Boiler Controls.
• Boiler Piping and Other Systems.
• Boiler Manufacturing Data.
• Report/Nameplate.
• Boiler Components.
• Pressure-Relieving Devices for Boilers.
• Pressure Vessels.
• Repairs and Alterations.
• Failure to obtain inspection and failure to pay inspection fees.

• Careful professional attention to and maintenance of the areas of concernand timely and complete inspections can actually prevent accidents by identifying problems and enforcing repairs prior to adverse conditions occurring.
• Contact the Boiler program

Frequent problems identified in inspections at hospital construction sites:

1. Contractor not registered, bonded and insured in Washington.

• A general contractor must maintain a $12,000 bond. A specialty contractor, such as a painter, must maintain a $6,000 bond. Dissatisfied consumers may pursue restitution with civil action in Superior Court against a contractor’s bond.
• All registered contractors must carry general liability insurance coverage ($50,000 property damage and $200,000 public liability or $250,000 combined single limit).

2. Contractor does not have a current business license.

• Contractors are also required to have a current business license.

3. Contractor is not up-to-date on workers' comp premiums for any employees.

• If the contractor has employees, he or she must have a federal employer identification number (EIN) and industrial insurance. (The identification number is optional for a sole proprietorship with no employees.)

4. Medical Gas and Vacuum systems.

• Medical gas Systems and Equipment must be installed by qualified Journeyman Plumbers who have been issued a Medical gas endorsement by the Department of Labor & Industries.
  

• Visit L&I’s Construction Compliance Web site,
• Visit your local L&I office or call the toll-free contractor registration hotline (1-800-647-0982) to learn:
  • If a contractor is currently registered.
  • How long the contractor has been registered.
  • If action against the contractor’s bond is pending or has been taken in the past.
  • Other business names under which a contractor may have operated.
  • Whether a contractor has industrial insurance coverage for his or her employees.
• Contact the Contractor program

Frequently written Electrical Corrections issued at hospitals and other identified issues:

See attached document (35 KB PDF).

• It’s apparent that some of the issues that are found upon inspection of actual installations at Hospitals; might be avoided by properly submitting all new installations, and alterations to existing installations, to Electrical Plan Review. This is already a requirement, but not always adhered to. Full adherence to the rule would help avoid potentially unsafe situations and could save time and dollars as well, if costly repairs are needed.
• It is also apparent that from Electrical Inspection’s perspective, having at least one person that could serve as a point-of-contact, would help immensely. Ideally that person would have not only the responsibility of interfacing with electrical inspection, but also the authority to ensure that all electrical installations or modifications at a facility were done in a code compliant manner.
• Contact the Electrical Program
• Call the Electrical Plan Review section – Bill Eckroth, 360-902-5246.