Hey Bob,

It doesn't sound. by this post or some previous ones that you have good
working conditions where you practice your profession.  Perhaps a sit-down
chat with the " good managers" you refer to might end up in a little less
paranoia and relieve your day to day thoughts that they are out to getcha or
any of the staff.  You may even get good ventilation, working tools and
conditions.

Most Administrators or  "Good Managers"  must be concerned with cost and the
bottom line, however, I have never met one who puts that before the safety
of the employees they serve.  Employees at all levels should also be
concerned and if informed and brought into decisions, usually are.  I feel
you are being a bit hard on "good managers" and "Inschpektors" I would
suggest looking inward to find out why you are afraid of losing your job (as
you have stated previously) or being treated unfairly, (which you seem to
suggest).

I will agree that in some circumstances,  "Herrn Inschpektors"  can cause
concern, sometimes putting their personal opinions or interpretations of
site visit questions out there for the inspectee to deal with.  In these
instances, I have always challenged what I thought might not be relevant and
have never had any problems.  CAP, JCAHO, Safety Committees, Fire Marshals,
my superiors and the likes.  All it really takes is a straight forward
conversation with good facts to clear up confusion or misinterpretation of
the "rules"  Those people are human too and can be made to see another side
to the situation if they are working with less than adequate information
than they need to perform their responsibility.  Most welcome the help as
they may be running circles trying to keep up with what is safe and what is
good for the employee.  If they don't ask,  tell them and make it clear.  It
does no good for employees to bitch about a problem to each other over
coffee or on this Listserver and not make the person who can change things
aware there is a problem.

This should not be interpreted that I feel I was always right, there have
also been circumstances that conversation gave me information that I was
unaware of and made me stand behind their thoughts.  It's a Team effort that
is needed out there, not a Me against You situation.
Never got fired once in the 38 years I was in Pathology, perhaps I left in
time??.  *Grin*

A bit tired of all the "woe is me" attitude in Pathology or anywhere for
that matter,  one makes their own bed, or it remains unmade. (author
unknown)  *smile*

Don Hammer, Retired Guy
Formerly Administrative Director, AKA, "Good Manager"

----- Original Message -----
From: <RSRICHMOND@aol.com>
To: <HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2000 2:46 PM
Subject: Glove reaction


> This latex allergy thing has turned into an extraordinarily serious
problem.
> Since the Herrn Inschpektors and the Good Managers have decided that
making
> health professionals run around in rubber gloves all day is the solution
to
> all nosocomial infection problems, about 10% of those so afflicted have
> become sensitized, and many careers have been ended (though I suppose no
> careers of Herrn Inschpektors and Good Managers).
>
> There is an abundant, rapidly shifting literature about latex allergy on
the
> Web, with much good information, and much nonsense and quackery.
>
> The situation has become serious enough that Johns Hopkins Hospital in
> Baltimore MD (where I did most of my residency, late in the Jurassic
Period)
> has attempted to entirely ban latex in the hospital.
>
> Children with spina bifida, who often require continuous urinary tract
> catheterization and other intense exposure to latex. become allergic to it
> something like half the time. Life threatening reactions are possible.
>
> Nitrile rubber gloves help some people, though I think not everyone, once
the
> problem has developed. Nitrile rubber gloves are more expensive than latex
> (since they're made in the USA rather than in rubber producing countries),
so
> the Good Managers don't like them - in particular, they've been most
> reluctant to let pathologists have them, even though they withstand
> formaldehyde exposure a great deal better than latex does. I try to use
> nitrile rubber gloves in my samurai pathologist travels, but am often told
> that they're reserved for the sensitized.
>
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Knoxville TN
>
>