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AIDS and Hepatitis C:
Insurance, Labor Department Issues
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Main topics can be found within the
left column; sub-topics and/or research reports can be found
near the bottom of this page. Thank you
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A
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The bloodborne pathogens
standard addresses the broad issue of occupational exposure
to blood and other potentially infectious materials and is
not meant solely for employees in health care settings.
Since there is no population that is risk free for human
immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus infectivity,
any employee who has occupational exposure to blood or other
potentially infectious materials is included within the
scope of this standard.
It is important to note that the definition of
"occupational exposure"; comprises the reasonable
anticipation that the employee will come into contact with
these fluids during the course of performing his or her work
duties. Therefore, OSHA anticipates that this standard will
impact upon all non-health care industries in a similar
fashion, i.e., that employees who are designated as
responsible for rendering first aid or medical assistance as
part of their job duties are
to be covered by this standard. This is because it is
reasonable to anticipate that an employee designated to
render first aid will have occupational exposure to blood or
other potentially infectious materials.
Employees who perform "Good Samaritan" acts are not,
per se, covered by this standard (This worker voluntarily
put himself at risk and bears the responsibility for that
risk), although OSHA
would encourage an employer to offer follow-up procedures to
an employee who experiences an exposure incident as the
result of performing a "Good Samaritan" act. This is because
such an action does not constitute "occupational exposure",
as defined by the standard. The key to this issue is not
whether employees have been trained in first aid, but
whether they are also designated as responsible for
rendering medical assistance. While many workers may be
trained in first aid and CPR, not all of these employees
would necessarily be designated to render first aid. |
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ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:
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Document Name & Link to Document
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Description
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File Size /Type**
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HIV/AIDS and Health Insurance |
This
brochure is intended to help employers who are concerned
about the impact of AIDS and other expensive illnesses on
their health care costs and their businesses, especially
employers with fewer than 100 employees. |
48 kb pdf |
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The NIH
Consensus Conference on Hepatitis C
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The National Institutes of Health convened the
second Management of Hepatitis C Consensus DevelopmentConference
on June 10, 2002 in Bethesda, Maryland. The first Management
of Hepatitis C ConsensusConference was held in March 1997
that established the current approaches that are utilized
in themanagement and care of Hepatitis C Virus.
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OSHA Standards
Interpretation and Compliance
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It is important to note that the definition
of "occupational exposure" comprises the reasonable anticipation
that the employee will come into contact with these fluids
during the course of performing his or her work duties
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** In order to view PDF files, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on
your computer. Many computers already have this software; however, if you need
it, a free copy is available for download at this site: Click
here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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