WAC 296-24 General Occupational Safety Standards. WAC 296-6

1
Occupational Health and Safety Issues in
Veterinary Practice

• Mary E. Miller, MN, ARNP
• Dept. of Labor Industries
• WISHA Policy Technical Services

2
Health and Safety Regulations

• Occupational Safety Health Administration
  (OSHA)
• Washington Industrial Safety Health
  Administration (WISHA)
• RCW 49.17

3
Compliance Inspections

• Unannounced
• Fatality/Catastrophe
• Complaint from worker
• Scheduled
• Citations with abatement required
• Penalties for serious hazards
• Appeals process

4
Consultation and Education

• Free, confidential
• Telephone or on-site
• If serious hazards found must be fixed
• On-site training
• Workshops
• Film Library
• Signs/posters/brochures

5
Standards Washington Administrative Codes

• WAC 296-24 General Occupational Safety Standards
• WAC 296-62 General Occupational Health Standards
• General Duty Clause/Safe Place
• Recordkeeping OSHA 200 logs
• applies where there are gt10 employees

6
Specific Health Safety Issues

• Ergonomics Heavy lifting, other overexertion
• Slips/trips/falls
• Kicks/bites/scratches
• Needlestick/sharps injuries
• Anesthetic gases
• Latex glove allergy

• Ethylene Oxide
• Insecticides
• Disinfectants
• Formaldehyde
• Infectious Diseases
• First Aid
• Emergency Washing

7
Accident Prevention Program,WAC 296-24-040

• ...tailored to needs and hazards of individual
  facilities
• Overall Safety Program
• On-the-job review of practices necessary to
  perform duties safely
• Training
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Injury Reporting
• Emergency Actions
• Safety Committees

8
Hazard Communication Program, Right-to-Know

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Container Labeling
• Training
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Written Program
• Examples Disinfectants, pesticides

9
Number of Consultation Visits, 1994-1998

• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• Total

• 4
• 4
• 0
• 4
• 6
• 18

10
Number of Compliance Visits, 1994-1998

• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• Total

• 28
• 3
• 6
• 5
• 15
• 57

11
Number of Claims, 1994-1998

• Total Claims
• 1994 345
• 1995 392
• 1996 436
• 1997 454
• 1998 508
• Total 2,135

• Total Costs
• 274,503
• 474,681
• 457,651
• 403,699
• 303,509
• 1,914,044

12
Washington State Worker Comp Data, Accepted
Claims 1994-1998
13
Nature of Injury, 1994-1998

• Burns - 16
• Chemical/Heat
• Concussion - 6
• Conjunctivitis - 19
• Contusion - 109
• Dermititis - 12
• Dislocation - 11
• Fracture - 26
• Indicates dominant source

• Infection/Toxic - 14
• Laceration - 1,356 (64)
• Multiple Injury - 22
• Scratches - 90 (4)
• Sprain/Strain - 330 (15)
• Other/Unknown - 124

14
Source of Injury, 1994-1999A

• Animals - 1,572 (74)
• (including birds, reptiles, insects)
• Bodily Motion - 47
• Building or Furnishings - 44
• Chemicals - 51
• Containers - 64
• (boxes, bags, etc).

• Doors - 21
• Floor/ground/stairs - 98 (5)
• Highway Vehicle - 10
• Infectious Agent - 15
• Needle - 25
• Non-pwr knife/tool - 45
• Other - 81
• Unknown - 36

15
Type of Injury, 1994-1998

• Abrasion - 12
• Bitten By - 1,232 (58)
• Caught In - 9
• Contact Toxics - 77
• Falls - 104 (5)

• Kicked By - 20
• Motor Vehicle - 6
• Overexertion - 290 (14)
• Struck against/by - 352 (17)
• Other/Unknown - 27

16
Resources

• Labor Industries Consultants in your area
• Check Blue government section of the white pages
• LI web page www.lni.wa.gov
• http//www.lni.wa.gov/wisha
• Mary Miller
• mmar235_at_lni.wa.gov
• 360.902.5666