more on HR

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 18:53:13 GMT

this week we will continue with HR as it takes up so much of our daily lives. For the purpose of the COPM assessment the questions will be referencing Federal laws so keep this in mind when reviewing.

For instance---

the statement: Federal law requires that all employees are entitled to break times.

Although many states require that employees have designated break times this is not a requirement under federal law. Also, paid time off whether paid holidays, PTO etc has historically not been a requirement for employers to offer. Currently these benefits are entirely up to the discretion of the employer. This is one of those areas where your state laws will take precedence in your practice but for the purposes of the assessment it will pertain to Federal requirements.

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:17:05 GMT

Keep the basics in mind---go through and review the different agencies which oversee specific areas of HR--all those requirements that keep us out of court

a quick question:: Unlawful harassment is a form of discrimination that violates
A: FLSA
B: Civil Rights Act
C: HIPAA
D:Equal Pay Act

Exempt or nonexempt status is based on:
A: Employee Annual Salary
B: Employee Job Title
C: Employee hours worked
D: Employee duties performed

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:25:28 GMT

The answers to the previous two questions are B Civil rights act and D Employee duties performed

The independent federal agency which enforces laws against workplace discrimination is:

A: EEOC
B: OIG
C: ERISA
D: WGET

Answer is A Equal Employment Opportunity Commision

These are just a few of the basics and as the week progresses we will cover more indepth with the different agencies

Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:35:23 GMT

The federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector is OSHA. We are all familiar with OSHA but take some time to review the four particular standards as they apply to healthcare

The resource manual reviews these for you and a basic type of question might be:

OSHA training is required for each employee:

A: Within 30 days of effective date

B: Within 60 days of effective date

C: Within 90 days of effective date

D: Within 120 days of effective date

The answer is C. Also note that each employee is to receive training each year and during that
training there are certain requirements:

A regulatory text of the standard must be accessible
You must provide an explanation of its contents
Have a general discussion regarding bloodborne diseases and how they are transmitted
Your exposure control plan
Your work practice controls
Personal protective equipment--where it is located and when it should be used
Hepatitis B vaccine
how to respond to emergencies involving blood
how to handle exposure incidents
the procedure and followup program for exposure
Signs, labels and color coding
There must also be time allowed for questions and answers.

OSHA training records must be kept for:

A: one year
B: two years
C: three years
4: five years

Answer: C

also, these training records must contain dates, summary of the training, names and job titles of attendees and name of trainer along with qualifications

Do you know the four particular standards relating to healthcare?

Bloodborne pathogen standard
Hazard Communication Standard
Lockout/Tagout Standard
Personal Protective Equipment Standard

Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:48:23 GMT

The lockout/Tagout Standard pertains to the control of hazardous energy sources. As this is not as common in our practices as Bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materals and protective equipment, take some time
to review. We all have energy sources which need to be handled carefully but we may not think to refer to them as Lockout/Tagout.

For the hazard communication standard--review the 6 areas it references

Chemical Labeling, Material Safety Data Sheets,Hazard Determination, Written implementation program, employee training and trade secrets

Personal Protective Equipment Standard

If an employee provides their own protective equipment who is responsible for assuring its adequacy--the employee or the employer?

The employer ultimately bears the responsibility to ensure the safety of the employee regardless of who provides the protective equipment

Thu, 27 Aug 2015 18:07:22 GMT

Keeping on with the rules----and there are so many of them

familiarize yourself with FACTA--which is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act-
what identifies sensitive employee information and the flip side is under what circumstances is an employer permitted to report sensitive employee information

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