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It has been determined that current personal protective equipment (PPE) does not provide adequate protection against workers handling hazardous drugs - NIOSH states that “... measurable concentrations of some hazardous drugs have been documented in the urine of health care workers who prepared or administered them − even after safety ...
NIOSH, in response to the need for a working model as to what a "closed system" and what a "closed system drug transfer device" was, provided the following definition: "A drug transfer device that mechanically prohibits the transfer of environmental contaminants into the system and the escape of the hazardous drug or vapor concentrations ...
The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process has been created to provide a reliable approximation of a safe exposure level for potentially hazardous and unregulated chemicals in the workplace. [6] Occupational exposure banding uses limited chemical toxicity data to group chemicals into one of five bands. Occupational exposure bands: [7]
Unlike its counterpart, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NIOSH's authority under the Occupational Safety and Health Act [29 CFR § 671] is to "develop recommendations for health and safety standards", to "develop information on safe levels of exposure to toxic materials and harmful physical agents and substances", and to "conduct research on new safety and health problems".
USP 800 (Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings) is a guideline created by the United States Pharmacopeia Convention (USP), as one of their General Chapters through which the USP "sets quality standards for medicines, dietary supplements and food ingredients".
Exposure to chemicals in the workplace can cause acute or long-term detrimental health effects. There are many classifications of hazardous chemicals, including neurotoxins, immune agents, dermatologic agents, carcinogens, reproductive toxins, systemic toxins, asthmagens, pneumoconiotic agents, and sensitizers. [4]
Exposure monitoring analyzes hazardous substances in the air or on surfaces of a workplace, and is complementary to biomonitoring, which instead analyzes toxicants or their effects within workers. A wide array of methods and instrumentation are used in workplace exposure monitoring.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act gives NIOSH the authority to conduct HHEs in the private sector and federal workplaces. When the workplace is part of a state or local government, NIOSH authority is more limited and the employer's cooperation may be necessary before NIOSH can do an evaluation. [3]