(Chicago) – If you're exposed to chemicals in the workplace every day, you're not alone. A new educational offering from the American Dental Assistants Association reports that you and about 43 million other Americans daily enter workplaces where chemical exposure might cause or contribute to health problems such as organ damage, dermatitis, cancer, burns or even sterility. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Hazard Communication Standard to address these situations and this Standard is upgraded periodically including in 2012. The Standard applies to any workplace with one or more employee and so includes most U.S. dental practices. The first deadline in the implementation phase is Dec. 1, 2013, the date by which employers must train workers on the new label elements and safety data sheet.
The ADAA Foundation’s new course will help you to understand how the Standard applies to dental practices and how to identify and comply with its requirements. It also helps in providing the best workplace for practice team members and is a step toward peace of mind for practice administrators.
A glossary of terms is provided to make it easier to understand the Standard as it is written - the A to V of Waste Management from "ACGIH" (what's that?!) to "vapor" as OSHA defines it. Now you're ready to start reviewing hazardous material regulations and classification, how to prepare a waste manifest, safety data sheets, inventory and files and deal with the all-important subjects of employee information and training.
ADAA's continuing education course is called "Hazard Communication Standard and Hazardous Waste Regulations in Dentistry” and sells for only $45 (free online to ADAA members) and was written by industry expert Eve Cuny, MS. Ms. Cuny is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Associate Professor at Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry and is a consultant to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and the FDI Education Committee. It is PACE approved and may be used for DANB recertification credit. The course is 3 Credit Hours. For more information or to purchase: go to www.dentalassistant.org (CE Tab) or 877-874-3785. This course is among the many offerings from the ADAA Foundation as it fulfills its mission to advance the careers of dental assistants and to promote the dental assisting profession in matters of education, legislation, and credentialing and professional activities.
