By Lee Slaton, Vice President of Healthcare; Smart Training

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.

Smart Training’s OSHA compliance advisors and certified HIPAA professionals help practices fulfill compliance requirements. TDA members receive discounts when they mention “TDA Perks.”