A Kaiser Permanente hospital in California was fined $18,000 after an MRI machine's magnetic field pulled a metal bed and a nurse, causing her serious injuries, the Daily Post reported Oct. 20.
In late February, the nurse was in a preparation area with a patient and another nurse when she began to move the bed toward the door to the MRI room. The door was open when it typically remained closed because of the MRI machine's strong magnetic field, according to documents from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
After preparing the patient, the nurse began moving the metal bed toward the open door when she and the bed were thrown to the machine, pinning her and injuring her pelvis, right leg and abdomen.
The nurse was hospitalized for a few days, and the chief executive nurse met with the employee's husband and mother to "offer support and assistance," Kaiser said in the OSHA report.
California OSHA fined the hospital, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City (Calif.) Medical Center, $18,000 for failing to have a plan to ensure the door between the MRI room and prep area remains closed, according to the report.
In the hours after the event, hospital leaders met to discuss solutions. Warning signs were posted between the prep and MRI rooms, and a safety alert was sent to department managers.
"Our teams responded quickly and those involved immediately received the care and support they needed," a Kaiser spokesperson told Becker's. "This was a rare occurrence, but we are not satisfied until we understand why an accident occurs and implement changes to prevent it from occurring again."
The system instituted corrective actions and preventive measures after the incident, the spokesperson said, and CMS has approved its response plans.