Kaiser is appealing that fine, too.įederal health guidance about COVID-19 safety has evolved throughout the pandemic. That incident has been linked to an employee dressed in an air-powered inflatable tree costume, who was COVID positive but unaware of that. One violation labeled as “serious” by Cal/OSHA found that Oakland Medical Center did not provide employees from an oncology unit with N95 respirators when they entered an area with patients confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19.įor a later and separate incident, Santa Clara County fined the San Jose hospital $43,000 for not immediately reporting an outbreak in its emergency department on Christmas Day. Kaiser’s San Jose Medical Center failed to notify employees “with significant exposures in a reasonable timeframe” and didn’t provide a medical evaluation to those exposed, according to the citation. The hospital also failed to ensure each employee passed a “fit test” to ensure employees’ respirators fit properly, according to the citation.Ĭal/OSHA also found that Kaiser’s Redwood City Medical Center did not inform and train employees that surgical masks do not protect against inhalation of infectious aerosols - N95 respirators are needed instead. One violation labeled as “serious” in Cal/OSHA’s citation to Oakland Medical Center, for example, found that the hospital did not provide employees from an oncology unit with N95 respirators when they entered an area with patients confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. Kaiser is appealing all 12 of the state’s citations, as well as the county-issued fine. In addition, Santa Clara County has separately penalized the hospital for not immediately reporting an outbreak in December. The agency has issued more citations against Kaiser than any other health care employer in California, fining it almost $500,000. Kaiser Permanente has on multiple occasions failed to provide hospital employees the gear or training needed to protect them from COVID-19, according to 12 citations issued by California’s enforcer of workplace safety laws, Cal/OSHA. But a review of worker safety citations shows Kaiser has had its own pandemic troubles, failing to adequately protect its employees early on. Kaiser Permanente has been cited more than any other California health system for violations of worker safety during the pandemic.Ĭalifornia officials gave a nod to Kaiser Permanente’s reputation for efficiency when they recently selected it to help speed vaccine rollout.
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