Another medical facility within the MultiCare system has received a citation and fine from the state Department of Labor & Industries for multiple COVID-19 safety violations.
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup was issued a citation and notice of assessment Feb. 19 from the state that included one repeat serious violation, three serious violations and one general violation for workplace safety.
The violations were same in kind and number to those issued in February to a MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care clinic in Puyallup.
In both citations, the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), which conducts the inspections, noted the “employer did not ensure to provide employees (health care workers) with a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause serious injury or death.”
As in the Indigo case, the health system plans to appeal the citation.
The inspection came after the union representing nurses at the hospital filed a workplace safety complaint with the state after a COVID-19 outbreak at the hospital in December.
The repeat serious violation involved lack of social-distancing enforcement measures.
“It was observed that social distancing (6-foot spacing) was not enforced and there were no barriers or other means of separation when social distancing was not achieved,” according to the citation. “Healthcare workers conduct administrative duties (patient charting) at the computer stations working within 6 feet of each other and also are approached by patients, or family members of patients, at the counter adjacent to the computers.”
L&I noted that the offense earned a “repeat serious” designation and higher fine because of a similar violation issued Aug. 6 in another inspection at MultiCare Auburn Medical Center. At that time, the medical center was cited for lack of protective barriers for employees. L&I called for them to be added to “front entrance of hospital (or another engineering control for social distancing) between the employees taking temperatures of hospital visitors, in hospitalist work room and all other similar places where employees congregate (nurses stations, charting rooms, etc.)”
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The Aug. 6 Auburn violation resulted in a $2,700 fine. The Good Sam and Indigo repeat violations of the same type of issue were each assessed at $14,000.
The three serious violations for Good Sam were as follows:
▪ “During the inspection it was determined that the employer was not performing enhanced cleaning of shared workspaces after COVID-19 positive employees were identified.”
▪ “The employer did not ensure to keep their respirator program current and effective with the changes to the work conditions for employees.”
▪ “The employer did not ensure that a respirator must be provided and used by each employee when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of the employee. Healthcare providers collecting specimens or working within 6 feet of patients (or other staff) suspected to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 must wear an N95 or higher-level respirator when collecting specimens.”
The general violation involved incomplete OSHA logs, with not all COVID-19 cases among employees reflected on its OSHA 300 log. That issue also was cited in the Indigo case.
The total fine for the Good Sam citation was $27,000.
On Wednesday, MultiCare media relations manager Holly Harvey sent an emailed statement from the health system to The News Tribune in response to questions about the latest citation.
The wording was similar to the one issued in its response to the Indigo citation, noting the health system would appeal and defending its PPE protocol.
“We’re deeply disappointed by the decision to issue these citations about the safety practices we’ve employed throughout this pandemic and we plan to appeal them,” Harvey wrote. “All MultiCare employees have the appropriate personal protective equipment they need to do their jobs safely.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked quickly to ensure we were following the latest guidance and best practices for PPE, social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 outlined by DOH and the CDC – often amidst an unstable global PPE supply.”
She added, “Like other health systems, as our supply chain become more stable, we were able to expand our usage protocols for N95s.”
The Washington State Nurses Association, which represents nurses at Good Sam and filed the initial complaint prompting the inspection, issued a statement Wednesday in response to the citation.
“WSNA filed this complaint on behalf of our nurses at Good Samaritan after a COVID-19 outbreak in one unit at the hospital that resulted in nine of our members testing positive for COVID-19,” the union said. “With multiple citations and $27,000 in penalties, DOSH has affirmed what WSNA has been saying since the onset of this pandemic: Certain hospitals simply have not done enough to provide our nurses — and all front-line health care workers — with the protections they need to safely care for themselves and their patients.”
It added it was “deeply troubled” by MultiCare’s plans for appeal and that it intends to oppose “any effort by MultiCare Good Samaritan to have the DOSH citations and fines overturned.”
“Good Samaritan nurses and patients would be better served if MultiCare instead took the appropriate corrective action immediately rather than dragging this out and denying our members their legal right to provide patient care in a workplace that is free from hazards that can cause serious injury or death,” the association said.
This story was originally published on The News Tribune.
Cox Media Group
