Across many industries it seems like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is placing a greater emphasis on the number and specificity of inspections, and the healthcare industry is their latest focus.

The department released a memo titled “Inspection Guidance for Inpatient Healthcare Settings” for that identifies certain hazards that are common in those industries that inspectors should really be on the lookout for. The goal is to have more inspections and inspectors that are aware of what to look for in these settings. Recently OSHA has addressed respiratory hazards in healthcare facilities and has information on developing plans for workplace violence though there are still no specific standards for preventing workplace violence.

Specifically, workers in healthcare are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders (stemming from lifting or moving patients), workplace violence (from unstable or mentally ill patients), bloodborne pathogens (from patients or improper disposal of sharps and other biohazards), tuberculosis, or slips and falls. Hopefully inspectors are now more tuned in to those specific hazards and can identify them to put a stop to dangerous practices. It also might encourage facilities to be more careful about those hazards to prevent harm to their workers in the first place.

This is not to say that inspectors shouldn’t be on alert for other hazards, just that those are the most common. Healthcare workers can be exposed to other diseases, drugs or chemicals on a regular basis. The office has also supplied compliance guides and information on their website to help facilities learn more about how they can help prevent injuries. If a facility is found to be lacking in safety measures they can be issued a citation.

The healthcare industry has a very high rate of injuries amongst their workers, reporting 57,680 occupational injuries or illnesses in 2013 alone and for every 100 workers, 6.4 suffered a work injury. Nursing homes seem to be the most susceptible and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for almost half of all healthcare injuries. Besides brushing up on the resources provided by OSHA, healthcare facilities who are worried about their status may want to conduct a preliminary internal audit to make sure they will be up to standards if OSHA inspectors come. Not only will they protect themselves but they will learn what they need to fix to protect their workers.