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WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration updated instructions for conducting inspections and issuing
citations related to worker exposures to tuberculosis in healthcare settings. This
instruction incorporates guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention report, “Guidelines
for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Health-Care
Settings, 2005.” The revised directive does not create any additional
enforcement burdens for employers; it simply updates the agency’s inspection procedures
with the most currently available public health guidance.
This directive
also covers additional workplaces regarded as healthcare settings such as sites
where emergency medical services are provided and laboratories handling
clinical specimens that may contain M. tuberculosis. Other changes include: the
introduction of a newer screening method for analyzing blood for M.
tuberculosis; classifying healthcare settings as low risk, medium risk, or
potential ongoing transmission; and reducing the frequency of TB screenings for
workers.
According to the CDC, nearly one-third of the world's population is
infected with TB, which kills almost 1.5 million people per year. In 2013, 9,582
TB cases were reported in the United States, and approximately 383 of those
cases were among healthcare workers. Multi-drug-resistant and extremely
drug-resistant TB continue to pose serious threats to workers in healthcare
settings. TB infection occurs when a susceptible person inhales droplets from
an infected person who, for example, coughs, speaks or sneezes. It is the
second most common cause of death from infectious disease in the world after
HIV/AIDS.
More information on hazard recognition and solutions for reducing or
eliminating the risks of contracting tuberculosis is available on OSHA’s Tuberculosis Safety and
Health Topics page.
Under the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for
providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role
is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by
setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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