OSHA Seeking Comments for Possible Infectious Agents Standard

OSHA is requesting information and comment on occupational exposure to infectious agents in settings where healthcare is provided, (e.g., hospitals, outpatient clinics, etc.), and healthcare-related settings (e.g., laboratories that handle potentially infectious biological materials). OSHA is interested in strategies that are being used in such healthcare and other healthcare-related work settings to mitigate the risk of occupationally-acquired infectious diseases.

David Michaels, OSHA’s new director stated in May that OSHA has inadequate standards for workers exposed to infectious materials. “The OSHA laboratory standard deals with chemicals,” Mr. Michaels said. “It doesn’t deal with infectious agents.” Rather than trying to establish new rules for each infectious agent or for any specific hazards, Mr. Michaels expects OSHA to eventually require employers, in consultation with their employees, to identify all potential hazards in their workplaces and to take steps to reduce them. OSHA would then have the power to cite employers for failure to adequately implement this process.

As a first step toward possible new regulations, the agency issued a sweeping request for information on occupational risks from infectious agents, and for suggestions on how best to reduce them. The focus is mainly on hospital and other health care workers, but any rules are expected to also cover industry laboratory workers. The deadline for comments is August 4, 2010. For more information go to: http://tinyurl.com/2984wbm.

Designing, Implementing and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its Workbook for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program, a 62-page document that guides healthcare facilities in assessing safety culture and designing programs to eliminate needle and sharps injuries.

The new edition was made possible through an alliance with The Premier Safety Institute, Charlotte, NC. It incorporates feedback from eight hospitals that initiated programs based on the first edition issued in 2004. It also includes posters and tools for collecting data, evaluating devices, documenting exposure incidents, and implementing prevention devices and work practices.

For a free copy go to:
http://www.premierinc.com/safety/topics/needlestick/downloads/sharps-workbook-2008-high.pdf

Exposure Incidents

Needlesticks are not the only exposure incident that is reportable. Healthcare workers who are bitten by a patient must also report their exposure. According to OSHA, an exposure incident is a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee's job duties. Parenteral contact, as defined in the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard, includes needlesticks, bites, cuts, abrasions, and similar injuries that result in a piercing of the skin or mucous membranes.

Needlesticks

According to an article in the August 8th issue of the American Journal of Infection Control that was conducted by the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research and the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California in Davis, CA, white female nurses between ages 35-44 are the most frequent demographic and occupational category for a needlestick.

The study examined Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on needlestick injuries requiring one or more days of lost work time from 1992 to 2003.Women comprised 73.3% of persons injured by needlesticks in the BLS data.

Luminol for Infection Control

In the May 23rd issue of Reuters Health is an article about how Dutch researchers are using Luminol, a bioluminescent chemical, to detect blood contamination in kidney dialysis units. Units that were just cleaned and appeared to be free of contamination still showed traces of blood on numerous surfaces, including control panels, telephones and floors, when tested with Luminol. This is a great teaching tool for discussions about proper laboratory disinfection and infection control.

Teaching Tools

Need some tools for teaching safety. The CDC has a set of cards covering infectious diseases that are free. Go to www.cdc.gov/ncidod for more information. Also check out some of the great animated bugs at http://www.nanobugs.com/. These are great teaching tools for all ages.