The union, which claims more than 150,000 members nationwide, is the largest nurses union in the U.S.
The union said most of the OSHA complaints are in California and allege insufficient personal protective equipment for healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. They also allege other unsafe conditions, such as improper isolation rooms for COVID-19, or suspected COVID-19, patients.
“This is a national emergency, and far too many hospitals are still failing to ensure that our caregivers who are placing their own safety at grave risk have the protections they need to stay at the bedside for their patients,” union executive director Bonnie Castillo, RN, said in a news release.
In response to the complaints, the California Hospital Association stressed the importance of worker safety to hospitals amid the pandemic, and it said hospitals are following state and federal guidance as far as masks and other protections.
Editor’s note: Becker’s has reached out to OSHA. More details will be posted once they are available.
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