Month: August 2017
CMS Emergency Preparedness Compliance Ruling
In 2016, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule requiring health care providers to develop Emergency Preparedness Plans and establish new Conditions of Participation (CoPs). CMS has updated the Emergency Preparedness standards to establish more consistent planning,
coordination, and response to both natural and man-made disasters. Updates are a direct response to hard lessons learned and lives lost during disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
The update applies to 17 facility types and requires the following components:
• Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning
• Policies and Procedures
• Communications Plan
• Training and Testing
• Emergency Standby & Power Systems
CMS has indicated there will be no exceptions for conformance during survey process. Failure to comply
with CoPs will result in loss of CMS Funding.
OSHA Enforcement Guidance on Silica Standard for Construction
National Safety Council: October 20, 2017
OSHA has released interim enforcement guidance for its Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard (1926.1153), which is set to be enforced in full on Oct. 23.
The guidance was issued Oct. 19 in a memorandum to OSHA regional administrators from Patrick Kapust, deputy director of the agency’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs. RAs should use the guidance to help them gauge whether employers meet various requirements, including those for inspections and avoiding citations. The guidance also provides flow charts for evaluating employer methods of controlling worker exposure to silica.
Mass shooting at music festival on the Las Vegas Strip
New York Post: October 2, 2017
A gunman opened fire during a country music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night — killing more than 20 people and wounding
over 100 with a high-powered assault rifle before being shot by police, according to officials.