OSHA standards and inspections at abortion clinics

December 13, 1994

The Honorable J. Bennett Johnston
United States Senate
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Senator Johnston:

Thank you for your letter of October 27, on behalf of your constituent, Mrs. James Hannie of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mrs. Hannie wrote to your questioning why abortion clinics do not comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and guidelines as other doctors and hospitals are required to.

OSHA inspections are based upon (in order of priority), a worker fatality or catastrophe, knowledge of an imminent danger situation affecting employees, a compliant or referral, and our general schedule targeting system.

Abortion clinics, like other healthcare facilities are covered by, and must comply with all applicable OSHA safety and health standards. If there are clinics that your constituent is familiar with that are not in compliance with OSHA regulations it is likely that they have not yet been inspected under one of the above procedures. Your constituent has the right to file a non-formal complaint regarding the alleged hazards. A nonformal complaint is a compliance procedure whereby a compliant can be filed against a facility by someone that does not work there. The complaint is handled by letter with a written response required. An inspection by an OSHA compliance officer can be conducted if the written response is inadequate or if no response is received within the required time period.

If your constituent is interested in filing such a compliant she can contact the local area office at:

U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA 2156 Wooddale Blvd. Hoover Annex, Suite 200 Baton Rouge, LA 70806

504-389-0474

For your information, the OSHA regulations most commonly violated in the healthcare industry include the bloodborne pathogens and the hazard communication standards. The bloodborne pathogens standard addresses the broad issue of occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials. Covered under this standard are requirements for worker education and training, hepatitis B vaccination, personal protective equipment, engineering and administrative controls, infectious waste disposal, and so forth. The hazard communication standard addresses worker exposure to hazardous chemicals. Covered under this standard are requirements for a written program, chemical labeling, providing material safety data sheets on all hazardous chemicals, and employee training.

We hope this information is responsive to your concerns and the concerns of your constituent. Thank you for your interest in worker health and safety.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Dear Assistant Secretary

[Requester letter reproduced on OSHA page; omitted here.]