Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Foundation Hospitals was fined $149,900 for exposing custodial staff to used needles at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo (Calif.) Medical Center.
Three custodial employees reported being stuck by needles while emptying the hospital's deposit box, which frequently overflowed and prevented the lid from closing properly, according to The North Bay Business Journal.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators learned Kaiser employees were instructed to clean the box with a broom and dustpan. When these tools proved inefficient employees often had to reach into the box to remove spilled waste.
OSHA's American Canyon, Calif., office opened the investigation into Vallejo Medical Center in June after receiving a complaint.
OSHA cited Kaiser for five violations of the bloodborne pathogens standard, which requires employers to protect workers from coming into contact with blood or other disease-carrying bodily fluids, according to the report.
Kaiser has replaced the disposal kiosk with two larger units and requires the units be monitored every thirty minutes to ensure safety standards.