Cal/OSHA Safe Patient Handling Roll-out Continues; Other States Also Weigh Issue

The California state OSHA plan's roll-out of new regulations mandating safe patient handling systems in acute care hospitals continues, with the Golden State implementing a new law that could serve as a model for efforts to tackle the issue in other states or at the federal level. A key health official at Cal/OSHA tells Inside OSHA Online there is “a lot of outreach” right now to inform hospital employers about the requirements. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation last year requiring that health care facilities maintain safe patient handling programs to protect health care worke