Oregon Veterans Affairs Facility Gets 17 OSHA Violations

Federal inspectors have found 17 violations of worker safety codes at a Veterans Affairs medical facility in Southern Oregon.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that 10 of the violations at the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City are serious.

A.J. Reid, acting director of OSHA’s Portland office, says the facility didn’t include veterans who were training for the housekeeping staff in the plan to protect employees from exposure to blood-borne diseases, such as the AIDS virus and hepatitis.

Another issue was that staff members giving chemotherapy treatments were not given protective clothing and goggles.

OSHA says that if the facility had been a private institution, it would have faced fines of $153,000.

The spokeswoman for the facility did not immediately return a telephone call.