GAO | Safety: States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside Crashes

Written by AAA Staff on December 17, 2020. Posted in Uncategorized.

From the US General Accountability Office on December 17

First responders stopped on the side of the road risk being struck by passing vehicles. To protect these workers, all states and D.C. enacted “Move Over” laws that require motorists to move over to another lane or slow down when they pass a roadside incident.

The Department of Transportation helps state officials educate the public about Move Over laws and administers funding that state officials can use for enforcement efforts. It also trains first responders in protecting themselves on the roadside.

The Department is planning to study motorist behaviors that contribute to roadside incidents and technologies that protect first responders.

Highlights PDF

Full Report

Distance CME | Deer Accidents: What EMS Should Keep in Mind

Written by AAA Staff on December 10, 2020. Posted in Operations.

Sponsored content from affiliate member Distance CME

Deer Accidents: What EMS and Ambulance Providers Should Keep in Mind

Wondering which state has the highest incidence of deer accidents in the U.S.?
West Virginia, followed by Montana and Pennsylvania, according to a State Farm Insurance report. Deer collisions increase from October through December, which includes elk and moose.

Car crashes caused by deer accidents account for up to about 200 fatalities per year and 10,000 injuries, according to West Bend Insurance Divisions.

COVID-19 fatalities among EMS clinicians

Written by AAA Staff on September 25, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Operations.

From EMS1
by
By Brian J. Maguire, Dr.PH, MSA, EMT-P
Barbara J. O’Neill, PhD, RN
Scot Phelps, JD, MPH, Paramedic
Paul M. Maniscalco, PhD(c), MPA, MS, EMT/P, LP
Daniel R. Gerard, MS, RN, NRP
Kathleen A. Handal, MD

The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic resonate around the world. Escalating infection and death rates are reported daily. While emergency medical services clinicians have been operating at the far forward front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic from the start, their infections, lost work time, long-term clinical manifestations and deaths have not been adequately reported or recorded [1]. In this article, we examine currently available EMS COVID-19 mortality data in order to describe the extent of EMS losses and to compare the risks for EMS clinicians to the risks for other related professions.

US DOL Issues Guidance Impacting EMS Offices

Written by AAA Staff on June 19, 2020. Posted in Human Resources, Operations, Professional Standards.

U.S. Department of Labor Issues OSHA Guidance As Non-Essential Businesses Reopen and Employees Return to Work

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued guidance to assist employers reopening non-essential businesses and their employees returning to work during the evolving coronavirus pandemic.

The guidance supplements the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ previously developed Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 and the White House’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again. The guidelines provide general principles for updating restrictions originally put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. During each phase of the reopening process, employers should continue to focus on strategies for basic hygiene, social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training.

Non-essential businesses should reopen as state and local governments lift stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders and follow public health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal requirements or guidelines. Employers should continue to consider ways to use workplace flexibilities, such as remote work and alternative business operations, to provide goods and services to customers.

OSHA recommends that employers continually monitor federal, state, and local government guidelines for updated information about ongoing community transmission and mitigation measures, as well as for evolving guidance on disinfection and other best practices for worker protection.

Visit OSHA’s coronavirus webpage frequently for updates. For further information about the coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

CDC: PPE Guidance and Burn Rate Calculator

Written by AAA Staff on April 7, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Operations.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control | April 7, 2020

U.S. Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used every day by healthcare personnel (HCP) to protect themselves, patients, and others when providing care. PPE helps protect HCP from potentially infectious patients and materials, toxic medications, and other potentially dangerous substances used in healthcare delivery.

PPE shortages are currently posing a tremendous challenge to the US healthcare system because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare facilities are having difficulty accessing the needed PPE and are having to identify alternative ways to provide patient care.

CDC’s optimization strategies for PPE offer options for use when PPE supplies are stressed, running low, or absent. Contingency strategies can help stretch PPE supplies when shortages are anticipated, for example, if facilities have sufficient supplies now but are likely to run out soon. Crisis strategies can be considered during severe PPE shortages and should be used with the contingency options to help stretch available supplies for the most critical needs. As PPE availability returns to normal, healthcare facilities should promptly resume standard practices.

PPE Burn Rate Calculator

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator is a spreadsheet-based model that will help healthcare facilities plan and optimize the use of PPE for response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Non-healthcare facilities such as correctional facilities may also find this tool useful.

To use the calculator, enter the number of full boxes of each type of PPE in stock (gowns, gloves, surgical masks, respirators, and face shields, for example) and the total number of patients at your facility. The tool will calculate the average consumption rate, also referred to as a “burn rate,” for each type of PPE entered in the spreadsheet. This information can then be used to estimate how long the remaining supply of PPE will last, based on the average consumption rate. Using the calculator can help facilities make order projections for future needs.

DOL: Guidance for Respiratory Protection During N95 Shortage

Written by AAA Staff on April 6, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Operations, Patient Care.

U.S. Department of Labor | April 3, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance for Respiratory Protection During N95 Shortage Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim enforcement guidance to help combat supply shortages of disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators (N95 FFRs). The action marks the department’s latest step to ensure the availability of respirators and follows President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available.

Due to the impact on workplace conditions caused by limited supplies of N95 FFRs, employers should reassess their engineering controls, work practices and administrative controls to identify any changes they can make to decrease the need for N95 respirators.

If respiratory protection must be used, employers may consider use of alternative classes of respirators that provide equal or greater protection compared to an N95 FFR, such as National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved, non-disposable, elastomeric respirators or powered, air-purifying respirators.

When these alternatives are not available, or where their use creates additional safety or health hazards, employers may consider the extended use or reuse of N95 FFRs, or use of N95 FFRs that were approved but have since passed the manufacturer’s recommended shelf life, under specified conditions.

This interim guidance will take effect immediately and remain in effect until further notice. This guidance is intended to be time-limited to the current public health crisis. Visit OSHA’s Coronavirus webpage regularly for updates.

For further information about COVID-19, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

###

Media Contacts:

Emily Weeks, 202-693-4676, weeks.emily.c@dol.gov

Release Number: 20-572-NAT

OSHA | Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

Written by AAA Staff on March 26, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Operations, Professional Standards.

Visit the OSHA COVID-19 page to download their PDF guidance on preparing your workplace for the disease.

NIEHS Worker Training Program COVID-19 Resources

Written by AAA Staff on March 26, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Professional Standards.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) has been tracking information about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it pertains to protecting workers involved in emergency response and cleanup activities performed in the United States. This page contains health and safety resources for workers who may be at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Training Resources

The National Clearinghouse creates training tools to aid in the development of awareness-level courses or other awareness-level materials. These tools provide health and safety guidance to workers who work in industries with the potential for exposure to COVID-19.

WTP Resources

COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning much about it, including how it spreads. This Training Tool will be updated with new information as the situation evolves.

WTP Awardee Resources

Indiana University Bloomington
- Community Level Training: Ebola and Infectious Diseases of Public Health Significance – Health and Safety Essentials for All Workers and Communities
Emory University
Laborers’ International Union of North America Training and Education Fund
- Infectious Disease Awareness
- Infectious Disease Operations

WTP Technical Workshops

Federal Links and Documents

NIH National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

U.S. Department of Labor

Coronavirus Resources

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

State/Local Links and Documents

Please refer to your local and state Department of Health for additional state-specific guidance on COVID-19.

Weekly EMS PPE Shortage Survey & Map

Written by AAA Staff on March 24, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Operations, Patient Care, Professional Standards.

Help AAA and IAFC track shortages of Personal Protective Equipment! Please complete this survey WEEKLY BY NOON ET ON FRIDAYS throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey results will be used to gauge the inventory of PPE for Fire & EMS Departments and the supply chain needs.

Complete Weekly PPE Survey

The Workers Who Face the Greatest Coronavirus Risk

Written by AAA Staff on March 16, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Patient Care.

The New York Times has identified the professions at greatest risk for COVID-19 exposure. Paramedics are very close to the top of the list. This is another excellent reminder to use all PPE required.

View the interactive graph►

CDC Interim Infection Control Guidance for COVID-19

Written by AAA Staff on March 10, 2020. Posted in Employee Wellness, Human Resources, Patient Care.

On March 10, the CDC issued the following changes to its interim guidance pm COVID-19.

Updated PPE recommendations for the care of patients with known or suspected COVID-19:
- Based on local and regional situational analysis of PPE supplies, facemasks are an acceptable alternative when the supply chain of respirators cannot meet the demand. During this time, available respirators should be prioritized for procedures that are likely to generate respiratory aerosols, which would pose the highest exposure risk to HCP.
  - Facemasks protect the wearer from splashes and sprays.
  - Respirators, which filter inspired air, offer respiratory protection.
- When the supply chain is restored, facilities with a respiratory protection program should return to use of respirators for patients with known or suspected COVID-19. Facilities that do not currently have a respiratory protection program, but care for patients infected with pathogens for which a respirator is recommended, should implement a respiratory protection program.
- Eye protection, gown, and gloves continue to be recommended.
  - If there are shortages of gowns, they should be prioritized for aerosol-generating procedures, care activities where splashes and sprays are anticipated, and high-contact patient care activities that provide opportunities for transfer of pathogens to the hands and clothing of HCP.
Included are considerations for designating entire units within the facility, with dedicated HCP, to care for known or suspected COVID-19 patients and options for extended use of respirators, facemasks, and eye protection on such units. Updated recommendations regarding need for an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR).
- Patients with known or suspected COVID-19 should be cared for in a single-person room with the door closed. Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) (See definition of AIIR in appendix) should be reserved for patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (See Aerosol-Generating Procedures Section)
Updated information in the background is based on currently available information about COVID-19 and the current situation in the United States, which includes reports of cases of community transmission, infections identified in healthcare personnel (HCP), and shortages of facemasks, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) (commonly known as N95 respirators), and gowns.
- Increased emphasis on early identification and implementation of source control (i.e., putting a face mask on patients presenting with symptoms of respiratory infection).

Read the full interim guidance►

EMS.gov Ambulance Crash Data

Written by AAA Staff on August 4, 2017. Posted in Professional Standards, Regulatory, Reimbursement.

NHTSA’s Office of EMS has partnered with a number of organizations, Federal agencies and U.S. Department of Transportation offices to develop resources that help EMS agencies understand ambulance crashes, transport patients safely, report ambulance and equipment defects and build or buy safer ambulances.

Download the ambulance crash infographic►
Visit the site today►

2017 #EMSFORWARD Booklet Released

Written by AAA Staff on January 27, 2017. Posted in Operations, Patient Care.

The Center for Patient Safety has released it’s 2017 #EMSForward booklet, a guide featuring their picks for the top 10 topics to advance the profession this year.
Download your copy from the CPS site today.

10 Safety Topics that Will Move EMS Forward in 2016

Written by AAA Staff on January 14, 2016. Posted in Operations, Patient Care, Professional Standards, Quality.

What are your ambulance services’s safety priorities for 2016? AAA member The Center for Patient Safety has just released 10 Safety Topics that Will Move EMS Forward in 2016, a free download covering:

Airway Management
Behavior Health Encounters
Crashes: Ambulance and Helicopter
Device Failures
Medication Errors
Mobile Integrated Healthcare
Pediatric Patients
Safety Culture
Second Victim Intervention
Transition of Care

Get your copy today to learn how to ensure safety for your employees and patients.

Download Now

Tag: safety