New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center faces more than $201K in health and safety violations, after an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation revealed the hospital allegedly exposed workers to linens and laundry contaminated with blood and body fluids.
OSHA investigators claim that the hospital began using plastic laundry bags instead of linen ones over the summer, a problematic switch in that the plastic bags had a habit of bursting open unexpectedly. According to the investigators, the hospital's laundry workers would re-gather the linens that erupted from the bag without using proper protective gear.
OSHA says the workers were exposed to infectious diseases, and the hospital failed to protect them adequately. “Management knew that these bags were deficient yet continued using them, even though they posed a potential health hazard for employees. This must change,” Kay Gee, OSHA’s area director in Manhattan, told NBC News. “It’s also disturbing that our inspection identified other instances of insufficient protection against blood-borne hazards."
In addition, the administration found that the hospital failed to properly screen patients for tuberculosis, then neglected to follow up with hospital workers who had been exposed to the infectious disease. OSHA hit the hospital with 13 violations, though the hospital says they'll fight the fines.
New York Presbyterian issued the following statement: "The health and safety of our patients and employees is always our paramount concern. We disagree with OSHA's citations and are contesting them. As this matter is in litigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
