Compliancy Group is the affordable industry standard for simplified compliance. Our compliance software solution, The Guard, gives you the tools you need to build an effective OSHA compliance program.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act, or OSHA, is a complicated law. Our compliance process is designed to assist you in your efforts to satisfy OSHA medical and dental office regulations.
This process consists of compliance audits, policies and procedures, and training presentations. All of these materials are housed in The Guard.
Compliance audits for the following topics can be found in The Guard:
General Safety
Bloodborne Pathogens
Personal Protective Equipment
Hazard Communication
Dental Office Safety
The audits consist of a series of “Yes” or “No” questions that you can use to perform a guided safety self-audit. The question language is derived from the relevant regulations. If your answer to a question is “Yes,” you are indicating that you have met a question’s requirements. If your answer to a question is “No,” the audit will indicate what remediation materials to consult. The remediation materials consist of our OSHA Compliance Manual and training presentations.
The OSHA compliance manual is a safety manual. Our OSHA Safety Manual for Medical and Dental Offices contains policies and procedures for specific OSHA topics, such as bloodborne pathogens. The regulations that make up a specific topic are referred to as “Standards.” For example, the regulations that require employers to take hazard control measures with respect to bloodborne pathogens, are embodied in a single standard, the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Each policy covers a specific standard. Policies link to the regulations, as well as to helpful OSHA resources. The Compliance Safety Manual is located in The Guard.
Users will be asked to attest to their having read and understood the contents of the safety manual. Topics include:
Introduction to OSHA
Training
Bloodborne Pathogens
Hazard Communication
Respiratory Protection
Electrical Safety
Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Action Plan
Fire Prevention Plans
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Dental Office Safety
Injury Reporting
Injury and Illness Recordkeeping
Complaints and Investigations
OSHA Inspections, Citations, and Enforcement Actions
OSHA Violations and Penalties
OSHA Communications
COVID-19 Safety
Self-Audits
How to Access Additional OSHA Resources
Regulations generally have the following content:
A definitions section.
A hazard control section. The hazard control section lists measures employers must take to abate hazards. Measures include engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment. Some regulations require hazard control measures to be included in a written plan or program. This requirement is noted for those standards containing the requirement.
A training section. The training section describes what topics employees must be trained on, as well as who may conduct the training.
A recordkeeping requirement section. OSHA standards usually require employers to keep records of some kind. Many standards require that records be kept of training. If a standard has a written plan or program requirement, the recordkeeping requirement will require that a copy of the written plan be maintained or stored.
If the answer to an audit question is “no,” the audit may refer the user to a specific safety policy in the manual for remediation. The user may then read that policy and follow its remediation steps. Upon remediation, “No” answers can be changed to “Yes” answers.
Remediation materials also include the presentations. Presentations are training materials. Presentations are housed in The Guard. These materials can be used by a healthcare provider or a business associate employer to train its staff on “how-to’s” – how to evacuate during an emergency, how to select proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and so forth. Training is an important component of OSHA compliance.
Training is best comprehended with use of graphical and visual materials. For example, the compliance safety manual contains a “Respiratory Protection Standard” policy. This policy contains definitions, hazard control requirements, and training. A central component of respiratory protection training is training on process: how to use a respirator – including how to fit-test an employee, how to put on the respirator, how to ensure there is a tight fit, and how to remove the respirator.
It is in the training materials where specific diagrams, illustrations and pictures outlining the process of respirator usage can be found. The training presentations show what different respirators look like, contain diagrams demonstrating proper fit, and contain other graphical or visual information needed to understand a requirement contained in the manual.
Each page of a training presentation contains a “notes” section. The “notes” section covers the material on the page in greater detail. The PPE Training Presentation, for example, contains seven detailed slides that an instructor can use to physically demonstrate how to meet the requirements of a rule. The notes also contain links to relevant OSHA guidance.
Each safety topic has its own training module.
Training modules cover these topics:
Bloodborne Pathogens
Electrical Safety
Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention Plans, and Fire Protection Safety
Hazard Communication Safety
Hazardous Materials Safety
Introduction to Industrial Hygiene
Personal Protective Equipment
Safety and Health Programs
Walking and Working Surfaces, including Fall Protection
Once an employer has gone over the training module content with employees, employees can attest to having received and understood the training. The training materials remediate “no” answers to audit questions. If the answer to an audit question is “no,” the user may be instructed to consult a training presentation. The training presentation that the audit instructs a user to consult, will contain the information and measures needed to remediate a gap. Upon remediation, “No” answers can be changed to “Yes” answers.
Audit results are documented and stored in The Guard. Users may also upload forms, such as records of training, attendance records, and other records required to be maintained by OSHA, into The Guard.
Through the audits, safety manual, and presentations, and audits, our OSHA compliance process allows users to identify what safety issues exist in their workplace, and what they need to do to remediate those issues.
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article