SafeLink Consulting Blog

Protecting Patients & Staff When Resuming Your Dental Practice

Written by Mary Bartlett | May 9, 2020 7:14:06 PM

As various mandates and recommendations related to dentistry have been lifted, dentists are beginning to question what steps need to be taken to resume operations and how to ensure a safe workplace for their employees as well as their patients. While dental practices that were already complying with OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard should be practicing Standard Precautions for the protection against bloodborne pathogens, COVID-19 adds airborne exposure risk that needs to be managed.  

Employers must assess the risks associated with COVID-19 exposure and then develop written policies and procedures specific to health and safety in the dental practice to avoid and reduce risks related to potential further business disruptions.  Employees must be informed of these policies, therefore, a training session should be conducted and documented.  It will then be up to the business owner and management to monitor closely the compliance with these safe practices.  OSHA provides a Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that can be extremely helpful to you.  In this Guidance OSHA informs employers to focus on implementation of engineering, administrative, and work practice controls and use of personal protective equipment.  OSHA also advises employers to prepare an infectious disease preparedness and response plan to help guide protective actions against COVID-19.  If you already have this type of response program, you should add protection against COVID-19. Contact SafeLink for assistance with your COVID-19 Safety Management Program including templates and consulting with assistance in writing specific related policies. 

Get a list of Safety Actions When Resuming Your Dental Practice f COVID-19 

COVID-19 Safety & Infection Control Guidance for the Dental Practice

Proper Removal of PPE for Infection Control

Protecting Patients & Staff When Resuming Your Dental Practice

SafeLink Consulting can assist your business in assessing the hazards in the dental office that relate specifically to protection from COVID-19, mitigating the risks associated with COVID-19, and provide recommendations for you to consider as you develop policies and procedures necessary to protect your employees and patients. 

COVID-19 Safety Training for Dentistry Employees

SafeLink Consulting trains dental practice employees on proper COVID-19 safety work practices, identifying exposure risks for employees, how to stay safe in the dental practice, and infection prevention practices. 

Take Online Course: Employee Health & Safety Training for the Dental Clinical Environment

Learn more about what SafeLink Consulting can do to help your business with compliance services, including safety compliance, to meet OSHA training requirements and quality system consulting to meet FDA compliance.  SafeLink Consulting assists businesses with workplace safety training, infection control training, HIPAA training online, quality systems, assessments, audits, due diligence, and more.

Industries include:

Dentistry compliance - assisting the dental practice with meeting requirements for OSHA, HIPAA, EPA, and CDC guidelines, patient safety and employee health & safety

Dental Laboratory compliance - assisting the dental lab with meeting requirements for OSHA, FDA, and CDC guidelines, employee health & safety, plus FDA requirements for lab manufacturing custom implant abutment /gmp for medical device manufacturers

Medical Device Manufacturers compliance - assisting with meeting OSHA compliance & FDA requirements, GMP - good manufacturing practices

General Industry compliance - assisting with OSHA compliance and FDA compliance as it pertains to the specific business

Beverage Industry compliance - assisting beverage businesses such as the craft brewery, winery, cidery, distillery, vintner with meeting OSHA compliance, health & safety, FDA requirements / GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices


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