Safety Standards in Pharmaceutical Compounding, Part 1: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Ensuring a safe working environment for employees is of paramount importance to all responsible compounding pharmacists, and adhering to safety standards established by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration renders achieving that goal more likely. However, information about such compliance (especially with respect to pharmaceutical compounding) may not be readily available. In this first article in a 3-part series, an overview of Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards that address employee safety in the workplace is provided and pertinent questions of interest to compounders are answered. In series parts 2 and 3, ensuring compliance with those standards is discussed in more detail and issues pertaining specifically to fire prevention in compounding facilities are addressed.