OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
Cry Wolf Quotes
[Do we really need] strict regulations or to go in with fines?
In 1991, dentists across America discovered that OSHA had ‘outlawed the tooth fairy.’ In a fit of regulatory zeal to combat the spread of AIDS and other communicable diseases through blood-borne pathogens, the rule-writers at OSHA had determined to make it a violation to allow any item that had been in contact with bodily fluids to leave a medical facility except in a biohazards container.
They told us in a seminar that OSHA needs money. Where do you think OSHA is going to get money? From fines.
Most importantly, these regulations will bring about changes in the dentist-patient relationship and make it more difficult to practice dentistry….Patients need a warm and trusting relationship with their dentist to help overcome their fears and make necessary dentistry possible. It will be more difficult to establish this relationship when the dentist is gowned, shielded and masked. While being suitable for controlling infection, these techniques may create a different barrier - one that will have a profound effect on the relationship between the dentist and patient.
