Here we are on the cusp of another year—a good time to look back at what practices are seeing from a compliance standpoint. Reviewing 2017 statistics, what stood out to me could be summed up with the old saying, “If I had a dollar for every…”
If I had a dollar for every small-town dental practice owner who told me he or she thinks he’s “off the grid” regarding OSHA and HIPAA compliance, I’d be sitting on a sunny beach sipping a fruity concoction adorned with a tiny umbrella.
But 2017 statistics prove that assumption (that small-town practices are “off the grid”) wrong.
Last year, almost half of all OSHA inspections of dental practices were of those in towns with less than 100,000 people. Approximately a quarter were located in towns of less than 25,000.
For example, a practice in a very small Texas town (population 1,800) was fined $5,900 for training violations. Another in a small North Carolina town (population 26,000) was fined $4,200 for bloodborne pathogens violations.
Compliance isn’t optional, no matter where your practice is located. Whether you’re in a city of two million or a hamlet of 500, everyone plays by the same rules.
Do your training, keep your written programs up-to-date, and wear the proper PPE. Let’s make sure your employees go home safe and sound every day in 2019.