[Histonet] Safety regs/Pathologists

[Tony Henwood]

Bill,

At 11:13 AM +1000 5/14/04, Tony Henwood wrote:
>I can't give you some examples of reg violations because:
>
>1      My pathologists (and scientific & Technical staff) aren't allowed to
>break Regs.

This sounds like a power trip to me.
Is it? Or is it just that we take pride in protecting ourselves and our
co-workers!
At 11:13 AM +1000 5/14/04, Tony Henwood wrote:
>Can you give examples where the regs are ridiculous and are counter to
>common sense?

Wearing floppy gloves while trying to draw blood or start an IV. They
provide NO protection and make the likelihood of a fingerstick
greater.

Easy, wear fitted gloves - arn't floppy gloves against the Regs?


Refusing to give mouth to mouth cause one has not a mouthmask handy

I hope you are referring to CPR, otherwise Sexual Harrassment is more the
problem! A hard call. A person might dies if you do nothing. I would leave
it up to the individual.

Docs and hospitals refusing to give me patient info necessary to interpret a
surgical or cytology because of HIPPA craziness.
Your report is therefore vague because of lack of information - we do not
have this problem in Australia where a consultant is given the information
in order to help the Clinician get a worthwhile report - otherwise the
report states that it limited by the lack of clinical info.

Telling me to throw away my Coke when I walk into the tab on my way to the
supervisor's office to review QC. (that'll get you a 1 finger
ciao)
No food in the Lab, "I was only passing through" - keep it black and white
and "I only left it on the bench while I washed my hands" will not occur.


Telling me my shoes or dress is inappropriate.

Why do we wear safety shoes? Why do we wear lab gowns - aren't the answers
obvious?

Quoting some rule when I open a smell a specimen container to see if it is
really in fixative

Yes, I have done this in the past - gee it hurts the nose - There are quick
tests you can do - add a drop of Schiff's reagent to a sample of the fluid
and watch the colour change to pink if formalin is present.
PAP smear retrospective review on myself.

I've never had a PAP smear. If you are referring to QA reviews, then why
should it be a problem.

Telling me I cant carpet or put a rug in my office.

Carpet dust is bad for microscopes. Granted this reg is inappropriate for an
office.

Telling me to put one way valves on sinks which are physically impossible to
draw grey water into water lines.

Is it? - I'm not a plumber, so I will accept what the expert's tell me.


Posting OSHA regs, hand washing rules... It makes more sense to wash ones
hands BEFORE going to the john in a surg path lab.

One of our Regs states that Hands must be washed prior to leaving the Lab -
so this should not be a problem.

Being forced to sign out a medicaid placenta within 72 hours even if it
means I have to gross it raw on Thursday.
In Australia, we would not do this, our recommendations recommend that 80%
of reports on such specimens be available within 3 days. I would like to see
this changed to working days but there you are.




Tony Henwood JP, BAppSc, GradDipSysAnalys, CT(ASC) 
Laboratory Manager 
The Children's Hospital at Westmead, 
Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, 2145, AUSTRALIA. 
Tel: 612 9845 3306 
Fax: 612 9845 3318 

_____________________________
Bill Blank
http://kernunnos.com <http://kernunnos.com>  (Celtic studies and
numismatics)
OBOD's Message board: http://www.druidry.org/board
<http://www.druidry.org/board> 




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