OSHA fines hospital $55,000 over safety violations

CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a southern New Jersey hospital $55,000 for allowing employees to be exposed to needle-stick injuries and bloodborne pathogen hazards.

OSHA also said Thursday that Cooper University Hospital failed to properly train and monitor carpenter shop employees who handled a cancer-causing chemical.

The federal agency says it began reviewing Cooper's practices last fall after a compliance officer investigating an unrelated complaint found an unusual amount of needle-stick and bloodborne pathogens exposure.

Cooper says in a statement that it's taking the report seriously and will address the issues.

The hospital has until May 3 to fix the problems cited by OSHA.