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 Biosafety (including
communicable disease, HIV, hepatitis) |
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(SEE ALSO HEALTH
CARE INDUSTRY AND INDOOR
AIR QUALITY LINKS) |
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Some workers are at risk of contracting diseases, such as HIV,
hepatitis, tuberculosis and lyme disease. Other workers might
be targeted with anthrax or smallpox. In the U.S., most workers
who are at risk of infection are covered by regulations that
require their employer to provide every possible protection.
Those regulations are frequently not followed, particularly
in small businesses. Workers who are exposed to possible infection
should take steps to determine whether their employer is complying
with the applicable regulations and, if necessary, take appropriate
action.
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Biosafety links |
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AIDS
and HIV
 AIDS & HIV
(United Federation of Teachers)
AIDS
Links (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
AIDS/HIV Information (Body Health
Resources Corporation)
HIV
and AIDS in the Workplace (American College of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine, 2002)
HIV
Post Exposure Prevention (University of California at
San Francisco)
HIV
Prophylaxis Following Occupational Exposure Guidelines
(New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, Updated
September 2003)
International
Labour Organization Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS(2001)
Living
and Working with HIV Infection (United Federation of
Teachers)
Management
of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis at Workplaces (Worksafe Western
Australia, 2000)
Protecting
School Employees Against HIV Infection (United Federation
of Teachers)
Surveillance
of Health Care Workers with HIV/AIDS (U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001)
Updated U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines
for the Management of Occupational Exposures to HIV and Recommendations
for Postexposure Prophylaxis (U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, September 2005)
When
AIDS Comes to Work (American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees)
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Biosafety
in general
Bacteria,
Viruses and Other Hazards (Alberta Human Resources and
Employment Ministry)
Biological
and Chemical Agents (American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees)
Biosafety
Documents (U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Office of
Health and Safety Information Systems)
Biosafety
Resources (Michigan State University)
Bioterrorism
Articles Made Available Free by the Journal of the American
Medical Association
Center
for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (University
of Minnesota)
Electronic
Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (Center
to Protect Workers Rights)
Guidelines
for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities
Recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control
Practices Advisory Committee (2003)
Guidelines
for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings (Centers
for Disease Control, 2003)
Guidelines
for Protecting Graves Registration Personnel from Potentially
Infectious Materials (U.S. Army
Environmental Hygiene Agency, 1993)
International
Health Care Worker Safety Center (University of Virginia)
Material
Safety Data Sheets for Infectious Micro-Organisms More
than 150 Data Sheets, from Actinobacillus to Yersinia
pestis (Canadian Ministry of Health)
Occupational
Infectious Disease (Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Resources)
Guidelines
for Preventing Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Infectious
Disease and to Tuberculosis (Centers for Disease Contol)
Protection
from Infection (American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees)
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Bird,
bat and rodent droppings
Control
of Health Hazards Associated with Bird and Bat Droppings
(New Jersey Department of Health)
Datos
Acerca de Enfermedades Relacionadas con las Palomas
(El Departamento de Salud y Salud Mental de la ciudad de Nueva
York)
Hantavirus (Canadian Centre for Occupational
Health and Safety)
Histoplasmosis:
Protecting Workers at Risk (NIOSH, 1997)
Managing
Health Hazards Associated with Bird and Bat Excrement
(U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency,
1992)
Pigeon-Related
Diseases (New York City Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene)
Hepatitis
AFSCME factsheet on Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B factsheet (Canadian Centre
for Occupational Health and Safety)
Hepatitis
Links (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
AFSCME
factsheet on Hepatitis C
The
Risk of Acquiring Hepatitis B or C Among Public Safety Workers
(American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
September, 2001)
Viral
Hepatitis (United Federation of Teachers)
Viral
Hepatitis (U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases)
Influenza
Avoiding the
Risk of Infection When Working with Poultry That Is Suspected
of Having Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (U.K. Health
and Safety Executive, 2006)
PandemicFlu.gov
- AvianFlu.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services)
Petition
for an OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard for Pandemic Influenza
Preparedness (American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, December 2005)
Transmission of Influenza: Implications
for Control in Health Care Settings (Clinical Infectious
Diseases, October 15, 2003)
Legionnaires'
disease
Legionnaires'
Disease (U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Legionnaire's
Disease Links (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Prevention
and Control of Legionnaires' Disease (Worksafe Western
Australia)
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Lyme
disease
Lyme Disease
Hazard Information Bulletin (OSHA)
Lyme
Disease Links (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Meningitis
Meningitis (United
Federation of Teachers)
Meningitis
Links (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
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Pneumonic
plague
Risk
of Person-to-Person Transmission of Pneumonic Plague (Healthcare
Epidemiology, April 15, 2005)
Sanitation
Lack of Sanitary
and Handwashing Facilities on Construction Sites: An Issue
of Health and Dignity (Construction Occupational Health
Project, University of Massachusetts Lowell )
Staphylococcus
Staph
Infection in the Correctional Facility (American Federation
of State County and Municipal Employees, 2005)
West
Nile Disease
Ways to Avoid West Nile
Virus Risk in Outdoor Work Suggested by NIOSH Planning,
good work-site maintenance, and simple protective measures
for workers can help reduce the risk of West Nile virus infection
for workers who are employed in outdoor jobs, the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) suggests. (NIOSH
press release, September 5)
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Biosafety news |
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Akron Firefighter and Paramedic Goes Public About AIDS: Akron
man wins workers' compensation for disease he knows he contracted
on job — Two years ago, Stephen Derrig lay in a
hospital room -- dying from a disease he didn't know he had.
 (Beacon Journal, October 13, 2002)
OSHA Clarifies Position on the Removal of Contaminated Needles
— OSHA is clarifying its policy on the prohibition
of removing contaminated needles from blood tube holders in
order to reduce the dangers of needlesticks for healthcare workers
and others who handle medical sharps. "Removing contaminated
needles and reusing blood tube holders can expose workers to
multiple hazards," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw.
"We want to make it very clear that this practice is prohibited
in order to protect workers from being exposed to contaminated
needles." (OSHA press release, June 12, 2002)
Occupational Medical Society
Develops Workplace Guidelines for HIV/AIDS
— Over the past 20 years, more than 790,000 cases of
AIDS and 457,000 AIDS deaths have been reported to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 650,000
and 900,000 Americans are currently living with HIV infection
while the number totals 40 million worldwide. Already an estimated
22 million worldwide have died from this disease. (Press release, April 10, 2002)
(To view the Guidelines, click
here.)
Responding to Chemical, Biological, or Nuclear Terrorism:
The Indirect and Long-Term Health Effects May Present the Greatest
Challenge — The possibility of terrorists employing
chemical, biological, or nuclear/radiological (CBN) materials
has been a concern since 1995 when sarin gas was dispersed in
a Tokyo subway. Contingency planning almost exclusively involved
detection, containment, and emergency health care for mass casualties.
However, it is clear that even small-scale CBN incidents—like
the recent spread of anthrax spores through the mail—can
cause widespread confusion, fear, and psychological stress that
have lasting effects on the health of affected communities and
on a nation’s sense of well-being. More emphasis therefore
needs to be placed on indirect effects and on the medical, social,
economic, and legal consequences that follow months to years
afterward. To respond effectively to CBN attacks, a comprehensive
strategy needs to be developed that includes not only emergency
response, but also long-term health care, risk communication,
research, and economic assistance. Organizing an effective response
challenges government institutions because the issues involved—eligibility
for health care, the effects of low-level exposure to toxic
agents, stress-related illnesses, unlicensed therapeutics, financial
compensation—are complex and controversial. (Journal of Health Politics, Policy
and Law, April 2002)
Ways to Avoid West Nile Virus Risk in Outdoor Work Suggested
by NIOSH — Planning, good work-site
maintenance, and simple protective measures for workers can help
reduce the risk of West Nile virus infection for workers who
are employed in outdoor jobs, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) suggests. (NIOSH press
release, September 5, 2002)
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