Vinnie, 

I think there would be more of a chance of cutting yourself if you started
changing the knives between each patient!  That is way too much handling of
the knives!  You should just initiate a policy of removing the knife during
cleaning (I know we clean less often than we cut actual frozens in one day).

Also, if your pathologists are like ours, they don't really know too much
about the cryostats.  Are you going to trust an inexperienced pathologist to
replace the knife (and a warm knife, at that!) after hours???

I think your safety officer is over-doing it!

Laurie
SJMC
Burbank

-----Original Message-----
From: Vinnie Della Speranza [mailto:dellav@musc.edu]
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2000 11:02 PM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Cryostat knives


in the aftermath of an employee injury, our safety officer is insisting that
we remove cryostat knives at the end of the shift (leaving no blade in the
cyrostat over night) and change blades in between patients. She claims that
failure to do so would be a violation of OSHA's requirements for safe work
practices. The employee nicked her thumb while tidying up the interior of
one of our units.

We commonly juggle frozen section specimens from more than one patient
simulataneously. We are a busy facility with a very large transplant
program. It is not uncommon for pathologists to be called to do frozens at
odd hours, hence the need for a cold knife that is ready to go at all times.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter and from facilities who
might be using practices similar to that being asked of us. Thanks

Vinnie







Vinnie Della Speranza
Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
Medical University of South Carolina
165 Ashley Avenue
Suite 309
Charleston, SC  29425
ph:  (843) 792-6353
fax: (843) 792-8974
email: Dellav@musc.edu