Keeping your Atlanta, Georgia, doctor's office in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations can be difficult, but one such regulation that you're probably quite familiar with relates to OSHA compliance training. However, if you're at all confused by what OSHA requires or what your office needs to implement to be compliant, read on!
OSHA Compliance Training: Everything an Atlanta, Georgia, Doctor's Office Needs to Know
Types of OSHA Trainings that Apply to Georgia Doctors' OfficesOSHA is a federal regulatory body, and that means its laws and regulations apply to every state. Therefore, your Atlanta-based doctor's office is required to comply with any and all OSHA rules.
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training
Sometimes referred to as "BBP training," this is perhaps the best known training that OSHA requires. It is mandatory to take this training not only once, but to recertify every year. This applies to any worker who has direct contact with a patient.
Hazard Communication Program
Workers have a right to know the hazards related to dealing with and handling any chemical, and that's what the OSHA hazard communication standard is all about. It provides a coherent and consistent approach to identifying and disclosing chemical information on both labels and safety data sheets (SDS sheets).
Unlike OSHA BBP training, this is not required yearly for all employees. It is, however, highly recommended that all doctor's office workers stay current and up to date on this important facet of OSHA training. This is primarily because the hazcom training involves safety issues that could directly affect your employees in their day-to-day activities.
HIPAA OSHA TrainingHIPAA is an acronym that stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This largely relates to the protection of patients' private medical information and health records.
HIPAA training is extremely important for anybody in your Georgia office that deals with such records. This helps ensure your office isn't liable for fines or other penalties associated with intentional or unintentional HIPAA violations.
Unlike BBP training, not every employee is required to take this course (only those who deal with sensitive patient information). It also isn't required to update yearly. Though, as is the case with many of these OSHA trainings, refresher courses are highly recommended.
Why Work with a Local Full-Service Waste Management Company for Your OSHA Trainings?
How Georgia Waste Management Companies Can Help You
If you choose to work with a local waste management company in Atlanta, Georgia, you're going to get some distinct benefits.
- Flexibility
If your employees want to complete their mandatory trainings online, many facilities that offer these training services can accommodate that. However, if you need or want to complete these training sessions in-person, working with a local company means you have the option to do an on-site training.
The online version is typically the more popular of the two choices (primarily for its convenience), but it's certainly nice to have the option for in-person should you need it.
- Accessibility
If there's ever any problems or questions you run up against related to your trainings, it's always nice to have the option to speak to somebody in person and get that issue or question resolved.
- Trust
Working with a full-service company means the same people who handle all your medical waste needs can also handle your training. This way, you get to work with one company that you already know and trust.
What Do Waste Management Companies Provide with OSHA Training?If you complete a training (either online or in-person), the company can provide a database to keep your records. That way, if your Georgia doctor's office is ever audited by OSHA or any other regulatory body, you'll have immediate access to documentation that proves you've been completing the required trainings.
Online courses typically allow the participant to print a certificate at the end that states this training has been completed. A copy would also be sent to the employer so that person had a dated proof of completion.
Within these online compliance suites, there can also be beneficial forms for your Atlanta doctor's office, including safety audit checklists, safety plans, MSDS and SDS sheets, and more.
For more information about how federal compliance training affects your Atlanta, Georgia, doctor's office, please feel free to contact a representative of MCF Environmental Services, a waste management Atlanta company.