AHA expresses concerns over OSHA's proposed emergency response rule; AHA cites provisions as impossible for hospital ambulance services, calls for alignment with existing requirements

The AHA July 19 expressed concerns to the Department of Labor about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed emergency response rule. The proposal would replace an existing one for firefighters, covering a broader range of emergency personnel including hospital and health system-based ambulance services under its definition of emergency service organizations. Ambulance services and other ESOs would need to meet many provisions under the proposed rule, including those related to written emergency response plans, hazard vulnerability assessments, training, personal protective equipment, medical screening, behavioral health services and workplace violence control, among others, along with incorporating 22 National Fire Protection Agency standards. In a letter, the AHA states that while it shares OSHA’s objectives in issuing the proposed rule, “we are concerned that the standards as proposed include provisions that would be impossible to achieve for hospital and health system-based ambulance services.” It emphasizes that many of the provisions directly relate to the risks faced by firefighters and address situations that do not exist for ambulance personnel. Further, AHA is concerned that certain provisions would be particularly onerous to meet for certain hospital ambulance services, particularly those in rural areas. 

AHA urged the department to permit hospital-based ambulance service organizations to meet the proposals through existing requirements specific to their operations, such as accreditation requirements by the Joint Commission, other Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-approved hospital accreditation bodies or the Commission for the Accreditation of Ambulance Services.