|
1998 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) |
Give information
and site information for downloading public use data and
documentation for the 1998 NHIS |
178 kb pdf |
|
A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY INTO DOCTOR’S EXPERIENCE AFTER A NEEDLE STICK
INJURY
|
The aim of this
research was to explore the lived experience of three medical
doctors after experiencing a needle stick injury. Needle stick
injuries were defined as injuries, self-inflicted or by colleagues,
where a needle punctures or lacerates the skin. There is an
associated risk of HIV transmission via a needle stick injury, which
prompted the exploration of the psychological aspects of the injury.
The research was contextualised in terms of South Africa’s
spiralling rate of HIV infection, as a result of which, it is
reasonable to expect that doctors will increasingly be treating HIV
positive patients. The research explored an area that has largely
been untouched by researchers. The literature study showed that as
regards needle stick injuries, the focus tends to be on the injury
itself, the risk of HIV transmission and the causal patterns
surrounding it, rather than on the psychological consequences. |
Pdf 342 kb |
|
Actuarial Aspects of Dread Disease Products
|
Dread
Disease/Critical Illness insurance has attracted much attention
because it differs significantly from other life products in that
the benefit is paid upon occurrence of a specific disease rather
upon death |
526 kb pdf |
|
Anxiety in health care workers after exposure to potentially
HIV-contaminated blood or body fluids |
In order to
measure anxiety in health care workers (HCWs) reporting occupational
exposures to potentially contaminated body fluids, we enrolled 55
HCWs in a prospective study. Percutaneous and mucous membrane
exposures were most frequent. 27% of study participants estimated
their risk of HIV-infection as above 1%. Personality bound anxiety
was not high, but acute anxiety showed a high variability. In a
multiple regression model high personality bound anxiety, lower age
and being a HCW other than physician independently predicted higher
acute anxiety scores. No HIV or hepatitis C virus infection
occurred. HCWs encounter significant anxiety after occupational
exposure to potentially contaminated body fluids despite the
possibility of potent post exposure prophylaxis |
Pdf 178 kb |
|
Arizona Occupational
Exposure Law |
Employees are
notified that a claim may be made for a condition, infection,
disease or disability involving or related to the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS), or Hepatitis C within the provisions of the Arizona Workers’
Compensation Law, and the rules of The Industrial Commission of
Arizona |
|
|
Arizona statutes under the heading "Communicable Disease Related
Information" |
A person who obtains communicable disease related information
in the course of providing a health service or obtains that
information from a health care provider pursuant to an authorization
shall not disclose or be compelled to disclose that information
except to the following:
|
|
|
Australia Occupational Exposure |
The data on occupational injuries and diseases contained in the
National Workers' Compensation Statistics database have been
compiled by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC)
from information supplied by Commonwealth, State and Territory
workers' compensation authorities. These agencies processed workers'
compensation claims received from insurance companies, self-insurers
and some government departments |
|
|
Bloodborne Pathogens and the Dental Health Care
Worker |
Power Point
Presentation |
514 kb |
|
BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN |
Department of
the Army control plan- To prescribe policies, responsibilities and
procedures for implementation of the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure
Control Plan (BBPECP) to meet the letter and intent of the OSHA
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). OSHA has enacted
this standard to "reduce occupational exposure to Hepatitis B Virus
(HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other bloodborne
pathogens". This plan details measures WRAMC and its employees will
take to decrease the risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens
and provide appropriate treatment and counseling should an employee
be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. |
|
|
Blood-borne viruses in the workplace |
It is very unlikely that you will become infected through everyday
social contact with another worker who has a BBV. BBVs are mainly
transmitted sexually or by direct exposure to infected blood or
other body fluids contaminated with infected blood. In the
workplace, direct exposure can happen through accidental
contamination by a sharp instrument, such as a needle or broken
glass. Infected blood may also spread through contamination of open
wounds, skin abrasions, skin damaged due to a condition such as
eczema, or through splashes to the eyes, nose or mouth. |
Pdf 451 kb |
|
Bombay Police test positive
|
"Around 450 policemen have tested positive for HIV," Prem Kishan
Jain, joint police commissioner for administration, said. The figure
is initial, with medical data not yet compiled for much of Bombay's
40,000-strong police force. |
|
|
Carbondale
Elementary School District 95-Illinois |
An employee with a communicable or chronic infectious disease
shall be evaluated by the District's Superintendent and the
employee, and a representative selected by each if so desired by
the employee. The employee's medical condition shall be held in
strictest confidence by the Superintendent, with only the employee's
direct supervisors being informed of the employee's medical condition
if deemed necessary by the Superintendent.
|
|
|
CDC report on occupational exposure to Blood Pathogens
|
Explanation of the
reporting system and what to do |
37 kb pdf |
|
Changes in
workers' compensation laws during 2001 |
The
issue of coverage under workers' compensation laws received a great
deal of attention in 2001. For example, extending presumptions of
coverage for certain diseases suffered by law enforcement officers
or firefighters, or both, occurred in Arizona, California, Florida,
Maryland, and Virginia. |
|
|
Claims Against Insurance Companies for Fraud & Bad Faith |
Insurance
companies nationwide have begun using claims handling practices that
are aimed at cost containment and building claims profit. This means
the insurance companies design practices aimed at delaying the
payment of claims and underpaying the fair claim value of a given
claim. This is not an ethical practice and violates all insurance
industry customs and ethical principles of the insurance industry. |
|
|
COMPENSATION FOR OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE: HIDDEN AGENDAS |
This article
explores the values implicit in the long-standing debate over the
mechanisms for compensating victims of occupational disease. We
begin by reviewing the: treatment of workers’ health and safety at
common law, the background for modern remedies. We then turn to
workers’ compensation, which today provides the basis for most of
the payments to victims of workplace injury. Finally, we look at
possible future solutions to the problems of disease compensation. |
Pdf 112 kb |
|
Costs of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses |
Most Americans
between the ages of 22 and 65 spend 40 to 50 percent of waking hours
at work. Every year millions of Americans suffer injuries and
thousands experience deaths in our workplaces. Yet little effort has
been made to estimate either the extent of these injuries, deaths,
and diseases or their cost to the economy. Thus, important questions
about workplace safety and the economic resources expended due to
workplace health problems remain unanswered. In this study, we
address these questions by presenting estimates of the incidence,
prevalence, and costs of workplace-related injuries, illnesses, and
deaths for the entire civilian workforce of the United States in
1992. We also consider controversies surrounding cost methodologies,
estimate how these costs are distributed across occupations,
consider who pays the costs, and address some policy issues |
|
|
Direct Cost of Follow-up for Percutaneous and Mucocutaneous
Exposures |
Published by the
International Health Care Worker Safety Center at the University of
Virginia |
48 kb pdf |
|
Disease
management. |
Research report
compiled for the insurance industry to manage diseases |
211 kb pdf |
|
Division of Workers' Compensation - The California workers'
compensation system |
The workers' compensation system is premised on a trade-off between
employees and employers -- employees are supposed to promptly
receive the limited statutory workers' compensation benefits for
on-the-job injuries, and in return, the limited workers'
compensation benefits are the exclusive remedy for injured employees
against their employer, even when the employer negligently caused
the injury. |
|
|
Epidemiological Notes on Occupational
Exposure |
As of
March 14, 1988, a total of 55,315 adults with AIDS had been reported
to CDC. Occupational information was available for 47,532 of these
persons, 2,586 (5.4%) of whom were classified as health-care workers |
|
|
Estimating Future Hepatitis C Morbidity, Mortality, and Cost in the
United States |
Objectives: This
study estimated future morbidity, mortality, and the costs resulting
from hepatitis C virus |
133 kb pdf |
|
Exposure to Blood: What Healthcare Personnel Need to Know |
Exposures occur
through needlesticks or cuts from other sharp instruments
contaminated with an infected patient’s blood or through contact of
the eye, nose, mouth, or skin with a patient’s blood. Important
factors that influence the overall risk for occupational exposures
to bloodborne pathogens include the number of infected individuals
in the patient population and the type and number of blood contacts. |
364 kb pdf |
|
Exposure of healthcare workers in England, Wales, and Northern
Ireland to bloodborne viruses between July 1997 and June 2000:
analysis of surveillance data |
The transmission
of bloodborne viruses to healthcare workers can have serious
consequences not only for clinical practice but also, because of the
requirements of health and safety legislation, for their employers.
In spite of guidance and education, however, many healthcare
workers continue to be exposed to bloodborne viruses from
percutaneous, mucocutaneous, or other injuries. An enhanced system
of surveillance of occupational exposure to bloodborne viruses was
introduced in mid1997, developing the passive system that was set
up after the first reported case (in 1984) in the United Kingdom of
HIV seroconversion associated with needlestick injury. |
Pdf 360 kb |
|
Eye of the Needle-Hep B, Hep C, HIV- United Kingdom Surveillance of
Significant Occupational Exposures to Bloodborne Viruses in
Healthcare Workers. November
(Large report-Increase download time) |
The active
surveillance of significant occupational exposures in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland for bloodborne viruses was implemented in July
1997.1 Under the scheme, occupational exposures include2
percutaneous exposures, where the skin has been broken by a
needle/other sharp object, human scratch or bite and mucocutaneous
exposures, where the mucous membranes (mouth, nose or eyes), or
non-intact skin have been contaminated. A significant exposure is a
percutaneous or mucocutaneous exposure to blood or other body fluids
from a source that is known to be, or as a result of the incident
found to be, HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV, or HIV positive. |
Pdf 2685 kb |
|
Financial and Risk Considerations for Successful Disease Management
Programs |
Report for the
insurance industry-this paper introduces disease management risk
concepts in general, along with a discussion of risk and financial
evaluation considerations, and a brief case study illustrating these
principles. |
211 kb pdf |
|
Guidance on Management and Patient Notification HIV Infected Health
Care Workers |
The document
reflects the new policy on patient notification exercises when a
health care worker is found to be infected with HIV, which was
announced in November 2001. It follows expert advice from the Expert
Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) and UK Advisory Panel for Health Care
Workers Infected with Blood-borne Viruses (UKAP. They advise that it
is no longer necessary to notify every patient who has undergone an
exposure prone procedure by an HIV infected health care worker
because of the low risk of transmission and the anxiety caused to
patients and the wider public. However, the long-standing
restriction on HIV infected health care workers carrying out
exposure prone procedures remains. |
pdf 525 kb |
|
|
|
GUIDELINES
FOR HIV TESTING IN VA FACILITIES FOLLOWING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES |
This information
letter provides guidance concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) testing in occupational exposure situations; clarifies
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy about testing for HIV,
and includes a collection of consensus recommendations of a
Committee that included experts in the field of HIV, Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and occupational safety. |
|
|
HAS THE POINT BEEN MADE? |
There is a
growing awareness within the health service of the impact of
needlestick injuries and the need to introduce policies and
procedures that will reduce their occurrence, in conjunction with
the use of anti-needlestick devices. SafeGard Medical is a company
that specialises in providing these devices. |
|
|
Hazards of needlesticks-Sharp End |
Needlestick
injuries are up there with slips, trips and falls as one of the top
accident risks in UK hospitals. Safer devices are available and
would remove a possibly lethal infection hazard-so why aren’t
hospitals using them? |
144 kb pdf |
|
Health care workers and AIDS: a differential study of beliefs and
affects associated with accidental exposure to blood |
This study aimed
to analyze affective and cognitive determinants of the professional
work of individuals caring for patients with HIV/AIDS, in view of
the risk and/or experience of accidental exposure to blood. We drew
on the theoretical-methodological references of Fishbein & Ajzen and
Maslow's theory. Fifty health care workers were evaluated using an
attitudes questionnaire and a needs and motivations instrument. The
research verified differences between answers by health care workers
who had never suffered accidents and those who had already
experienced accidental exposure to blood. Health care workers did
their work activities motivated by the need for self-fulfillment and
valued their own performance when they were able to meet the
patients' emotional needs. Among health professionals who had never
experienced accidental exposure to blood, the predominant beliefs
was that patients feel remorse over having expose themselves to HIV.
Accidental exposure to blood raises difficulties in personal life.
Technical aspects are also associated with the possibility of
accidental exposure to blood. |
|
|
HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND HEPATITIS C VIRUS |
Health care workers
are at occupational risk for acquiring this infection because Hepatitis C Virus is
transmitted by direct percutaneous exposure to blood. The CDC
recommends that individual health care institutions consider
establishing policies and procedures for follow-up of infection with
Hepatitis C Virus after percutaneous or permucosal exposures to blood.
|
|
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Health care workers infected with HIV, Hepatitis B or
Hepatitis C-Australia |
This circular extends policy on health care workers
infected with blood borne viruses to include hepatitis C. All
health care workers in New South Wales who perform exposure prone
procedures are required to know their blood blorne virus status.
A HCW who either HCV PCR positive or HIV positive or HbeAg positive
or HBV DNA positive must not perform exposure prone procedures. |
45 kb pdf |
|
Healthcare Exposure
|
Deals with
poisoning and Toxicity with areas of infectious diseases that are
found in the work area |
471 kb pdf |
|
HEALTHCARE WORKERS: PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT OUR HEALTH |
Healthcare-worker protection has lagged behind that afforded
other workers with similarly increased risks. Possible
explanations for the delay in focusing on occupational hazards
faced by healthcare workers are many and likely include the
focus of curative rather than preventive medicine in the
hospital environment; the focus on patient health over worker
health; and the focus within occupational health on
traditionally male occupations and hazards rather than female
workers. |
|
|
Healthcare Workers and Hepatitis C |
Health care workers
are at occupational risk for acquiring this infection because Hepatitis C Virus is
transmitted by direct percutaneous exposure to blood. Reported in
‘American Family Physician’ |
223 kb pdf |
|
HEALTHCARE WORKERS SORE OVER NEEDLES FDA WON’T BAN KIND THAT CAUSE
MOST INJURIES |
A nursing safety
expert asked how many hundreds of medical workers need to die from
contaminated needle sticks before the agency bans standard needles
and syringes that are causing the injuries |
|
|
Hep C in
the Fire Service: |
Do fire, rescue
and EMS personnel face a higher risk of being infected by Hepatitis
C than the general population? They're often exposed to victims’
blood and only recently have the precautions been put in place to
protect them from exposure to blood-borne diseases. The answer to
that question would seem obvious. |
|
|
Hepatitis B virus infected physicians and disclosure of transmission
risks to patients: A critical analysis |
The potential
for transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus
from infected healthcare workers to patients is an important and
difficult issue facing healthcare policymakers internationally. Law
and policy on the subject is still in its infancy, and subject to a
great degree of uncertainty and controversy. Policymakers have made
few recommendations regarding the specifics of practice restriction
for health care workers who are hepatitis B seropositive. Generally,
they have deferred this work to vaguely defined "expert panels"
which will have the power to dictate the conditions under which
infected health care workers may continue to practice |
|
|
HEPATITIS C AND POLICE WORK |
There have been many
articles published on the risks of transmission of hepatitis C. All
"emergency workers" are high risk. Not only do police officers work
with the sector of the population most at risk (prison, drug users,
drunks) but they are also first responders to motor vehicle
accidents and domestic disputes. |
|
|
HEPATITIS C and the
fire service: assessing the risk |
The
news that Philadelphia (PA) Fire Depart-ment (PFD) firefighters
screened for hepatitis C (HCV) in 1999 had an infection rate almost
three times the average for the U.S. population vividly reminded the
fire service that complacency in the health and safety arena can be
as deadly as complacency on the fireground. The revelation moved
fire departments to look more closely at their infection-control
policies and means for protecting their members against infectious
diseases and supporting those who already have become infected. |
|
|
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Firefighters, Emergency Medical
Technicians, and Paramedics --- Selected Locations, United States,
1991—2000 |
First responders
(e.g., firefighters, emergency medical technicians [EMTs], and
paramedics) are at risk for occupational exposure to bloodborne
pathogens. Recently, CDC has received inquiries from state and local
health departments and occupational health services about the
prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among first
responders and the need for routine HCV testing among these workers.
This report summarizes the findings of five studies of HCV infection
among first responders. Although some of these workers may need HCV
testing under certain circumstances, this report indicates that
first responders are not at greater risk than the general population
for HCV infection; therefore, routine HCV testing is not warranted. |
|
|
Hepatitis C & HIV Co-Infection: an update-Sept. 2003 |
More than 3
percent of the world’s population, about 2 percent of the US
population, and up to 10 percent of US health care workers are
currently infected with the Hepatitis C virus. |
327 kb pdf |
|
HEPATITIS C IN THE WORKPLACE |
Poster that can
be displayed in the work environment to explain Hepatitis C |
Pdf 125 kb |
|
Hepatitis C Infected Health Care Workers |
Implementing Getting Ahead of the Curve: action on blood-borne
viruses |
|
|
HEPATITIS C is proving to be an
occupational hazard for healthcare workers in India.
|
In this
study, the overall prevalence was found to be 4 per cent
in the hospital. The prevalence was found high in
haemodialysis units (8.33 per cent), blood banks ( 5.56
per cent) and haemodialysis laboratories ( 4 per cent).
None of the subjects, however, were found positive in
dental units and biochemical and other laboratories.
|
|
|
HIV and AIDS in the Workplace |
In
addition to the sheer number of young people affected,
the profound impact of AIDS upon the American workplace
and the special attention garnered by the disease have
stemmed from a wide range of sensitive medical, social,
and political issues. From the onset of the epidemic,
AIDS struck disproportionately members of certain
stigmatized groups, such as gay men and intravenous drug
abusers, adding layers of complexity to workplace
confidentiality and discrimination concerns. Because it
is an infectious illness, widespread ignorance regarding
disease transmission, particularly during the early
years of the epidemic, led to an increased risk of
ostracism at work. The episodic nature of an illness
marked by recurrent opportunistic infections also
presented difficulties to both employers and to those
infected individuals trying to remain occupationally
productive. Today, as more AIDS patients benefit from
highly effective antiretroviral therapy, their
re-integration into the workplace adds yet another layer
of complexity |
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|
HIV AND THE HEALTH CARE WORKER: Transmission of HIV
in the Health Care |
By
December 31, 1995, the cumulative number of AIDS cases reported in
the U.S. had exceeded 500,000. The CDC currently estimates that 1
million Americans are HIV-infected. Nearly all health care workers (HCWs)
will be involved in some way with the care of these persons who
require frequent visits to clinics and hospitals. This fact is
illustrated by the "Sentinel Hospitals" study which measured HIV
prevalence among hospitalized patients who were not known to be
HIV-infected. The seroprevalence at these 26 hospitals varied from
0.1 percent to 7.85 percent and was as high as 21.7 percent in men
aged 25 to 44 at one hospital1. Well-documented cases of
occupationally acquired HIV infection have understandably raised
concerns among HCWs regarding their own safety. This article reviews
the current data on occupational transmission of HIV infection, the
current methods in place to protect HCWs, and the management of an
occupational exposure to HIV when it occurs |
|
|
HIV,
Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C: Blood-borne Diseases |
Nurses
constantly balance occupational risks with their primary goal of
providing quality health care to all persons. Because threats to
personal well-being may affect practice, nurses must promote a
safe and healthy work environment to protect themselves, their
loved ones, patients, and coworkers.
As
front-line providers of health care, nurses have long been
exposed to blood-borne pathogens on the job. The AIDS epidemic
has heightened awareness of this and has broadened our knowledge
of other bloodborne diseases, notably hepatitis-B (HBV) and
hepatitis-C (HCV). |
|
|
HIV test made mandatory for city Police
|
Alarmed at the increasing number of HIV positive cases in the
force, the Mumbai police has decided to make it mandatory for each of
the 38,000 constables and officers up to the rank of inspector to
undergo a HIV test every six months |
|
|
HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C: Preventing Exposure at Work |
This booklet is
for employers and workers who are not expected to come in contact
with blood and body fluids at their workplaces-but who could have
contact with these fluids in rare, isolated incidents that can’t be
foreseen |
637 kb pdf |
|
HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C: Preventing Exposure at
Work-Canada |
Most workers won’t ever contact, at work, blood and
certain body fluids that can spread HIV and the hepatitis
B and C viruses. But even employers and workers in
setting where contact with blood and these fluids is not
expected should be aware of some basic precautions.
This is because it is possible to become infected from a
single exposure incident—that is, harmful contact with
infected blood and body fluids. |
825 kb pdf |
|
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace |
The spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide, and the growing number
of people affected, makes it very likely that few, if any, global
companies will escape its impact. As the pandemic progresses, an
ever-wider sphere of business operations is being touched by the
disease. Although Africa and Asia have been the hardest hit, every
continent has seen significant consequences due to HIV/AIDS.
Estimates by the World Bank suggest that the macroeconomic impact of
HIV/AIDS may reduce the growth of national income by up to a third
in countries where the prevalence among adults is 10 percent.
Additionally, rates of HIV infection worldwide are highest for the
young and for women, who are major contributors to the workforce |
|
|
HIV/AIDS Infected Health Care Workers: Guidance on the Management of
Infected Health Care Workers |
Health
care workers who are infected with HIV must promptly
seek appropriate expert medical and occupational health
advice. If no consultant occupational physician is
available locally, consideration should be given to
contacting one elsewhere. Those who perform or who may
be expected to perform exposure prone procedures must
obtain further expert advice about modification or
limitation of their work practices to avoid exposure
prone procedures. Procedures which are thought to be
exposure prone must not be performed whilst expert
advice is sought. |
Pdf
121 kb |
|
HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Guidelines |
The impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace is felt in many
areas, for example the loss of productivity, increased cost of
employee benefits, high production costs and lower workplace morale
due to prolonged staff illness, increased absenteeism and mortality
rates. This, in turn, impacts negatively on the economy of the
country as it slows down economic growth with less economically
active persons able to contribute to the economy. |
274 kb pdf |
|
Hospital blunder allowed sick firefighters to keep working |
What is particularly
devastating for the firefighters who have unknowingly lived with
hepatitis-C for the past three years is they don't know how much
damage has been done to their liver in that period of time. Nor do
they know if they have unknowingly passed it on. |
|
|
Human
rights approach to AIDS. |
Southern African
Development Community's Code on HIV/AIDS and Employment |
426 kb pdf |
|
ILO- Recording and notification of occupational accidents |
The absence of reliable information about the incidence of
occupational accidents and disease is a major obstacle to curbing
the appalling toll of work-related deaths and injuries that
continues to plague humankind. Despite enormous advances in
technology, preventive medicine and the means to prevent accidents,
the ILO and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that each
year around 1.2 million work-related deaths, 250 million accidents
and 160 million work-related diseases occur worldwide. Death,
illness and injury on such a scale impoverish individuals and their
families, and undermine attempts to improve working conditions |
|
|
Information for Individuals Who May Have Been Exposed to HIV, the
AIDS Virus |
Health care
workers and public service workers may be exposed to the HIV virus
through their work. Even though safer work practices incorporating
barrier precautions and safer needle devices will decrease the risk
of exposure, they will not completely eliminate it…There are other
ways of being exposed to HIV, for example through human bites or
sexual assault. |
71 kb pdf |
|
International Hazard Datasheets on Occupation-Police / Law
Enforcement Officer |
This
datasheet lists, in a standard format, different hazards
to which police / law enforcement officers may be
exposed in the course of their normal work. This
datasheet is a source of information rather than advice.
With the knowledge of what causes injuries and diseases,
is easier to design and implement suitable measures
towards prevention. |
|
|
Job-related hepatitis C infections are hard to prove |
Many
people with hepatitis C suffer from a double whammy: They
have a potentially deadly virus, which can simmer
undetected for decades - and that makes it hard for them
to prove how they got it. As a result, veterans,
health-care workers, firefighters and others who think
they got hepatitis C by being exposed to blood on the job
can't easily trace it. |
|
|
Job-related infections hard to prove |
When
hepatitis C ruined Mike Coghlan's liver, the Department
of Veterans Affairs helped him get a new one. Then it
paid for expensive medications to help him recover. But
when the 45-year-old Philadelphia man got too sick to
work and asked for disability benefits, the VA told him
no. He couldn't prove he got the disease while he was in
the service, so he was jobless and finally out of luck. |
|
|
Law protects emergency workers |
Compulsory tests for those who expose police,
firefighters, EMTs to bodily fluids |
|
|
Lost Lives: Work-related
deaths in British Columbia |
Under
the requirements of the Workers Compensation Act, a worker must
report an injury or a disabling occupational disease as soon as
possible to the employer. The employer must report
work-related injuries, occupational diseases, and work-related
deaths to the WCB within three days. A worker may not make an
agreement with the employer to give up WCB benefits. |
3606 kb pdf |
|
Maine
Injured Workers Ass. |
Occupational
disease is the insurance industry's bugaboo. The dark revelation
that more than 100,000 Americans are dying each year from this cause
has frightened insurance executives. They are apprehensive about the
increasing awareness of the contribution of the work environment to
the development of many diseases. Substances that we regarded as
safe are now known to cause cancer. Heart disease once thought to be
strictly non-work-related, is now being linked to stresses at work.
If workers' compensation insurers had to pay for any large
percentage of the appalling toll of occupational disease, their
margins of profit would be seriously affected. |
|
|
Management of healthcare workers after occupational exposure to
hepatitis C virus |
Needlestick injuries pose a potential occupational risk
to healthcare workers, particularly through transmission of
bloodborne viruses, such as hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV.
An effective vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV)
infection, and post-exposure antiviral prophylaxis is effective in
reducing HIV transmission. However, currently there are no
measures that reduce hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission.
|
|
|
Managing Occupational Risks for Hepatitis C Transmission in the
Health Care Setting |
This
article reviews this developing information.
Recently published data demonstrate success rates
in the treatment of "acute hepatitis C syndrome"
that approach 100\%, and although these
studies are not directly applicable to all
occupational infections, they may provide important
clues to optimal management strategies. In
addition, the article delineates approaches
to the prevention of occupational exposures and also
addresses the difficult issue of managing HCV-infected
health care providers. The article summarizes
currently available data about the nosocomial
epidemiology of HCV infection and the magnitude
of risk and discusses several alternatives for
managing exposure and infection |
|
|
Manual for Healthcare workers on Viral Blood Borne
Occupational Diseases |
This
module is meant for all Health-care workers (HCW).It gives recent
relevant information on Hepatitis B and C and HIV, without going
into details of symtomatology, differential diagnosis and treatment.
The references used for preparing the document are given at the end
of the document and can be procured from any medical college’s
library in India. A notable feature of some of the references is
that they are in the public domain, the names of hospitals, where
occupationally acquired viral infections have occurred-being clearly
mentioned--a far cry from the situation in India where such
incidents are held secretive. There have been anecdotal evidence of
occupationally acquired HIV infection to health-care workers in
Mumbai, Ahemedabad and Vellore. |
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|
Michigan Recommendations on HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C
Infected Health Care Workers |
Based upon
current scientific information, the following recommendations have
been adopted by MDCH to provide protection for patients and HCWs
alike. These guidelines should become part of the infection control
guidelines for all health care facilities |
Pdf 203 kb |
|
Minnesota-occupational exposure |
Occupational diseases are considered personal injuries under
Minnesota workers’ compensation law. Diseases account for 1 percent
of indemnity claims in Minnesota…contagious diseases accounted for 8
percent of disease indemnity claims |
20 kb pdf |
|
Missouri Revised Statutes Workers' Compensation Law
(Large report-increased down-load time) |
287.067. 1. In
this chapter the term "occupational disease" is hereby defined to
mean, unless a different meaning is clearly indicated by the
context, an identifiable disease arising with or without human fault
out of and in the course of the employment. Ordinary diseases of
life to which the general public is exposed outside of the
employment shall not be compensable, except where the diseases
follow as an incident of an occupational disease as defined in this
section. The disease need not to have been foreseen or expected
but after its contraction it must appear to have had its origin in a
risk connected with the employment and to have flowed from that
source as a rational consequence. |
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Model-based estimates of risk of disease transmission and
economic costs of 7 injection devices |
When
not properly sterilized, or if contaminated, needles and syringes
can produce local abscesses and can transmit bloodborne infections
between patients. Needlestick injuries can transmit infectious
agents from patients to health care workers, while incorrect
disposal can transmit disease to the community as a consequence of
both needlestick injuries and improper reuse. |
360 kb pdf |
|
MPFFU on Hepatitis C |
At the recent
MPFFU biennial convention, delegates adopted Resolution #35, which
addresses firefighters and Hepatitis C. The resolution calls for
MPFFU to provide its members with: Education and training to
increase their awareness of the dangers of hepatitis C in the
workplace, investigate the feasibility of a statewide program for
testing firefighters, and introduce legislation to include
infectious disease presumption law covering firefighters who are
exposed to hepatitis C and other job-related infectious diseases. |
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National Surveillance System For Health Care Workers
|
Needlestick and
other percutaneous injuries (PIs) pose the greatest risk of
occupational transmission of bloodborne viruses to health-care
workers (HCWs). The annual number of
PIs sustained by U.S. HCWs have been estimated using a variety of
methods and have ranged from 100,000-1,000,000.
|
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Needlestick and hepatitis C transmission |
The first
is a case presentation of needlestick transmission of hepatitis C
with a review of some aspects of transmission and treatment. For the
purposes of this abstract data on transmission rates from a review
(search strategy not given) of hepatitis C transmission studies is
abstracted. The second study is a report of hepatitis C transmission
in 14 workers with needlestick injuries in which the source patients
were positive for both the hepatitis C antibody and RNA. |
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Needlestick Injuries Among Healthcare Workers |
This statement
summarizes the scientific issues related to needlestick injuries,
including what we know about the number of workers affected, what
can happen to a worker's health as a result of such an injury, how
these injuries occur, and ways to prevent them. In addition, it
describes what CDC is doing to address this serious public health
problem. |
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Needlestick Injuries among Health Care Workers in Washington State,
1996-2000 |
Executive Summary
only: Health care workers are vulnerable to serious infectious
diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus
following a needlestick injury…trend analysis showed an annual
average increase of 5.84%. |
17 kb pdf |
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NEEDLE STICK RISK |
Hundreds of medical
workers become infected with the AIDS or hepatitis viruses from
accidental punctures each year. |
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Needlestick prevention bill includes new workplace rules
|
The measure is
expected to help guard physicians against injuries but also adds
regulations for them to follow as employers |
|
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New Zealand Sex Industry-a guide to Occupational Health and Safety |
This guide has been
written for everyone involved in the New Zealand sex industry: sex
workers both employed and self-employed, operators, owners and others
such as sex worker organizations. |
408 kb pdf |
|
Nurse,
operating room |
This datasheet
lists, in a standard format, different hazards to which nurse, operating
rooms may be exposed in the course of their normal work…With the
knowledge of what causes injuries and diseases, is easier to design and
implement suitable measures towards prevention |
89 kb pdf |
|
Nurses' Working Conditions: Implications for Infectious Disease |
Staffing patterns
and nurses' working conditions are risk factors for
healthcare-associated infections as well as occupational injuries and
infections. Staffing shortages, especially of nurses, have been
identified as one of the major factors expected to constrain hospitals'
ability to deal with future outbreaks of emerging infections. These
problems are compounded by a global nursing shortage. Understanding and
improving nurses' working conditions can potentially decrease the
incidence of many infectious diseases. Relevant research is reviewed,
and policy options are discussed. |
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|
More than fifteen
years after OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard was issued to protect
workers against contracting bloodborne diseases like AIDS and hepatitis
B and C, some employers
still haven't gotten the idea. United Federation of Teachers
President Randi Weingarten accused the [New York City] Department of
Education on Nov. 15 of ignoring federal law requiring it to protect
educators at risk of exposure to life-threatening pathogens in blood or
bodily fluid |
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OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE – UNDERSTANDING THE LAW |
The statutory
formula for compensability for occupational disease is similar to that
for accidental injuries, that is, “compensation for personal injuries to
or for death of such employee by any “compensable” occupational disease
arising out of and in the course of the employment.” There appears to
me to be three essential elements of Section 30. There must be an injury
or death – due to a “compensable” occupational disease – which must
arise out of and in the course of the employment. There is an exception
for willful self-exposure but that exception has never been established,
to my knowledge |
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Occupational Disease in Connecticut, 2001
|
Occupational
diseases are a potentially under-recognized source of disability given
the wide disparity in reporting requirements and procedures that exist
in various jurisdictions. Nonetheless, an occupational disease could
have major impacts on worker health, ability to work, and employer
costs. Some diseases, such as cancers from asbestos exposure or HIV or
hepatitis from exposure to bloodborne agents in health care, can be
fatal. Other diseases, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from ergonomic
problems, can result in high levels of disability from loss of use of
the hands. Prevention efforts, such as effective health and safety
committees, ergonomic programs, or use of safe needle devices can result
in substantial reductions in disease and costs; in theory, all
occupational diseases are preventable. |
Pdf 205 kb |
|
OCCUPATIONAL
EXPOSURE |
The risk of HIV
transmission to medical personnel has been recognized since 1984, with
the first reported case of HIV transmitted to a health care worker (HCW)
following needlestick injury (Anonymous, 1984). Since that time,
information regarding occupational exposure and outcomes has been
collected. As of October 1998, there were 187 reported cases in the
medical literature of HIV transmission in the United States (CDC, 1998a)
and 264 cases worldwide (Ippolito, 1999), presumably related to
occupational exposure. A HCW is defined as any person whose activities
involve contact with patients or with blood and/or body fluid from
patients in a health care setting or laboratory setting. An exposure is
defined as a percutaneous injury (needlestick or other cut with a sharp
object), mucous membrane or nonintact skin (e.g., chapped or abraded
skin, dermatitis), or prolonged contact and/or contact involving an
extensive area with blood, tissue, or certain other body fluids. |
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Occupational Exposure and Hepatitis C
|
There were 148 patients (88 men, 60
women) aged 18 to 72 years (mean 45 years).Only 5% had no known risk
factor, and the most commonly found known risk factors were injected
drug use, sharing razors and toothbrushes, body piercing, being a
recipient of blood products, sexual exposure and occupational exposure
to blood in 48% to 32% of cases. Tattooing was associated with 17% of
cases. |
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Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens-for
correctional employees |
Significant exposures to correctional staff can occur in
the course of providing healthcare, contact with sharps while
cleaning or searching cells, during physical altercations, and by
intentional “gassing” in which staff members are deliberately
exposed to a patient’s body fluids |
226 kb pdf |
|
Occupational Medicine/ AIDS-HIV |
HIV is an
occupational disease for corrections workers - Estate of Doe v.
Dep't of Corr., 268 Conn. 753, 848 A.2d 378 (Conn 2004) |
|
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Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens-Precautions for
Emergency Responders |
There are
approximately 5.6 million workers in health care and other
facilities who are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens such
as the human immunodeficiency virus and the hepatitis B virus and
other potentially infectious materials…Others also at risk include
law enforcement personnel, firefighters, paramedics, emergency
medical technicians, and anyone whose job might require providing
first-response medical care in which there is a reasonable
expectation of contact with blood or other potentially infectious
materials |
Pdf 125 kb |
|
Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens; Needlestick and Other
Sharps Injuries |
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration is revising the Bloodborne
Pathogens standard in conformance with the requirements of the
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. This Act directs OSHA to
revise the Bloodborne Pathogens standard to include new examples in
the definition of engineering controls along with two new
definitions; to require that Exposure Control Plans reflect how
employers implement new developments in control technology; to
require employers to solicit input from employees responsible for
direct patient care in the identification, evaluation, and selection
of engineering and work practice controls; and to require certain
employers to establish and maintain a log of percutaneous injuries
from contaminated sharps. |
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Occupational Hazards among Clinical Dental Staff |
Occupational
hazard can be defined as a risk to a person usually arising out of
employment. It can also refer to a work, material, substance,
process, or situation that predisposes, or itself causes accidents
or disease, at a work place. |
Pdf 586 kb |
|
Occupational Hazards of Dentistry |
In carrying out
their professional work, dentists are exposed to a number of
occupational hazards. These course the appearance of various
ailments, specific to the profession, which develop and intensify
with years. In many cases they result in diseases and disease
complexes, some of which are regarded as occupational illnesses. |
97 kb pdf |
|
OCCUPATIONAL INJURY OR DISEASE UNDER WISCONSIN WORKER’S COMPENSATION
LAW |
Workers often
sustain an injury or contract a disease arising out of their
employment for which the employer and worker’s compensation insurer
deny worker’s compensation benefits, on the grounds that the worker
cannot identify a specific traumatic event that caused or
precipitated the injury or disease. Such a denial may be contrary
to fact and law. It is not always necessary for the worker to be
able to identify a specific event or date of injury, in order for
the claim to be compensable. The purpose of this essay is to
explain the concept of “occupational injury or disease,” for which
worker’s compensation benefits may indeed be awarded. |
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|
Occupational Risks Magazine |
Gives information
on how to underwrite those claims and calculate them |
458 kb pdf |
|
Occupationally Acquired Infections in Health Care Workers
|
Occupational
transmission to health care workers was identified for
numerous diseases, including infections caused by
bloodborne organisms (human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis
B virus, hepatitis C virus, Ebola virus), organisms spread
through the oral-fecal route (salmonella, hepatitis A
virus), and organisms spread through direct contact
(herpes simplex virus, Sarcoptes scabiei). Most
outbreak-associated attack rates range from 15% to 40%.
Occupational transmission is usually associated with
violation of one or more of three basic principles of infection
control: handwashing, vaccination of health care workers, and
prompt placement of infectious patients into appropriate
isolation. The risk for occupationally acquired
infections is an unavoidable part of daily patient care.
Occupationally acquired infections cause substantial
illness and occasional deaths among health care workers.
Further studies are needed to enhance compliance with
established infection control approaches. As health care
is being reformed, the risk for and costs of
occupationally acquired infection must be considered. |
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Occupationally Acquired HIV: The Vulnerability of Health Care
Workers under Workers ' Compensation Laws |
Approximately 800
000 needle-sticks and other sharp injuries from contaminated medical
devices occur in health care settings each year, of which an
estimated 16000 are contaminated by human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV). Health care workers who are Occupationally infected by HIV
are at risk of being left without workers' compensation coverage. In
some states, the definition of an occupational disease is so
restrictive that infected health care workers are unlikely to
qualify for benefits. For those who are able to meet the definition,
compensation is often inadequate. Recourse is also limited by
statutory provisions that preclude health care workers from bringing
civil suits against their employers |
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Occupational Transmission |
Health care
professionals are more susceptible than most members of the
population to occupational hazards involving blood and other body
fluids. The greatest hazard is associated with occupations involving
perforating and cutting materials…Among medical professionals,
surgeons present the highest risk because of their extensive use of
needles and perforating instruments in surgical procedures. Plastic
surgeons spend relatively more operating time suturing subcutaneous
and skin than those involved in other surgical specialities…[they
make] more use of more delicate materials such as skin hooks,
thus maximizing the risk of perforations |
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Occupational Transmission of HIV |
Summary of Published
Reports, Dec. 1999 Series of tables and charts with several
different break-downs |
461 kb pdf |
|
OCCUPATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF HIV AND HEPATITIS C VIRUS AFTER A PUNCH |
Awareness of the
risk of occupational transmission of HIV to health care workers
dates back to December 1984, when the first case of needlestick-transmitted
HIV infection was reported |
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OCCUPATIONALLY ACQUIRED IMMUNO DEFICIENCY SYNDROME IN INDIA |
Acquired immuno
deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been in the news for years. Recently
it was overshadowed by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In
the case of SARS, the persons most at risk are health care workers.
In the case of AIDS, health care workers are also at risk; workers
in public hospitals are more at risk. These hospitals do not reject
patients who contracted or who are suspected of contracting AIDS |
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Oregon Ruling for Occupational Disease Claims |
Unlike a workers’ compensation claim, the occupational disease claim
can expose the employer to whatever economic and non-economic
damages, including pain and suffering and loss of lifestyle damages,
the plaintiff can convince the jury to award. The employer may be
exposed to punitive damage claims in some cases |
28 kb pdf |
|
OSHA instructions for exposure |
This instruction
establishes policies and provides clarification to ensure uniform
inspection procedures are followed when conducting inspections to
enforce the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
|
1,297 kb pdf |
|
OSHA rules for injury in the Work area
(LARGE
REPORT-INCREASED DOWN-LOAD TIME) |
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is revising its rule
addressing the recording and reporting of occupational injuries and
illnesses (29 CFR parts 1904 and 1952), including the forms
employers use to record those injuries and illnesses. The revisions
to the final rule will produce more useful injury and illness
records, collect better information about the incidence of
occupational injuries and illnesses on a national basis, promote
improved employee awareness and involvement in the recording and
reporting of job-related injuries and illnesses, simplify the injury
and illness recordkeeping system for employers, and permit increased
use of computers and telecommunications technology for OSHA
recordkeeping purposes |
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Police infected with AIDS |
About three thousand (3,000) police officers and
men from across the nation have been discovered to be living with HIV/AIDs. |
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Police to get help fighting hepatitis C |
When police and
firefighters respond to an accident, officials
said, they face the risk of being infected with hepatitis C, exposed
through the blood and bodily fluids of victims. |
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Post Exposure
Management of Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids |
Occupational Health
and safety procedure and guidelines for Canadian Calgary Health Region |
83 kb pdf |
|
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Guidelines |
In 1994, a large
international study showed that administration of ZIDOVUDINE to an
HIV-infected mother during pregnancy and labor, and subsequently to the
baby after delivery reduced the risk for the baby becoming infected with
HIV from about 25% to 9%. A second case-control study of healthcare
workers, who had suffered needlestick exposure to HIV-infected blood,
showed that ZIDOVUDINE post-exposure prophylaxis was associated with a
decrease in the rate of seroconversion by 79%. These two studies
demonstrate a potential benefit of using antiretroviral therapy at the
time of, or shortly after, exposure to HIV. |
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|
Pre-employment (and post-employment) drug screenings |
Pre-employment (and post-employment) drug screenings |
|
|
Probability Tables for disability |
Mathematical
descriptions and methods used for determining the probability of
disability used by the Rand corporation |
230 kb pdf |
|
Profiles of Occupational Injuries and Diseases in
Michigan |
Work-related injuries
and illnesses cost 1.5 billion dollars annually in workers’ compensation
claims in Michigan, and the indirect costs of these conditions may be as
much as five times greater (7.5 billion dollars). |
1832 kb pdf |
|
Protocol for follow-up after Exposure |
A protocol for the follow-up of healthcare workers exposed to hepatitis
C virus is desperately needed, but limited data on occupational risk,
transmission risk, and the benefits of therapy are hampering efforts to
fashion one, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). |
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Recognizing Occupational Disease |
Occupational
exposures contribute to the morbidity and mortality of many
diseases. However, occupational diseases continue to be
underrecognized even though they are responsible for an estimated
860,000 illnesses and 60,300 deaths each year. Family physicians can
play an important role in improving the recognition of occupational
disease, preventing progressive illness and disability in their own
patients, and contributing to the protection of other workers
similarly exposed. This role can be maximized if physicians raise
their level of suspicion for workplace disease, develop skills in
taking occupational histories and establish routine access to
occupational health resources. |
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Recognizing Occupational Disease -Taking an Effective
Occupational History |
The
patient with a possibly work-related illness frequently seeks care
initially from a family physician. The physician's recognition of a
possible link between work and disease often determines the
diagnostic tests that are performed and the treatment that is
recommended. Early diagnosis of an occupational illness may prevent
progressive morbidity and disability from conditions such as
occupational asthma and may facilitate the reversal of adverse
effects from exposures to substances such as lead. The
identification of an occupational illness in one patient also
provides the physician with an opportunity to protect other patients
with similar exposures. |
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Response to consultation on Aids/HIV infected health care workers |
This guidance
will have the effect of restricting the occasions on which it is
considered necessary to notify patients that they may have been at
risk of exposure to the HIV virus. This reflects the evidence which
shows that in the UK there has been no recorded case of infection
passing from a healthcare worker to a patient, and only two reported
incidents worldwide. The NHS therefore seeks to reduce the
possibility of anxiety, and the costs of unnecessary counselling and
testing for the virus, in situations in which the risk of infection
is considered to be very low. Previously, all patients in the UK
have been notified regardless of their level of risk. The new policy
is designed to avoid unnecessary anxiety to patients and puts
Britain more in line with practice in other countries. From now on
the risk of HIV transmission to patients will be assessed on a case
by case basis and whether patients are notified will depend on the
level of risk. |
Pdf 41 kb |
|
Risk & Management of Blood-borne
infections-Healthcare
(Large report-increased
down-load time) |
Exposure to
blood-borne pathogens poses a serious risk to health care workers (HCWs).
We review the risk and management of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and
hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C Virus) infections in HCWs and also discuss
current methods for preventing exposures and
recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis |
|
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Risk and Management of Blood-Borne Infections in Health Care Workers |
Exposure to
blood-borne pathogens poses a serious risk to health care workers (HCWs).
We review the risk and management of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and
hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in HCWs and also discuss
current methods for preventing exposures and
recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis. In the
health care setting, blood-borne pathogen transmission
occurs predominantly by percutaneous or mucosal exposure
of workers to the blood or body fluids of infected patients.
Prospective studies of HCWs have estimated that the
average risk for HIV transmission after a percutaneous
exposure is approximately 0.3%, the risk of HBV
transmission is 6 to 30%, and the risk of HCV transmission
is approximately 1.8%. To minimize the risk of blood-borne
pathogen transmission from HCWs to patients, all HCWs
should adhere to standard precautions, including the
appropriate use of hand washing, protective barriers, and
care in the use and disposal of needles and other sharp
instruments |
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Six health workers get HIV |
The inquiry found
health-care workers had a one in three chance of
acquiring hepatitis B from contaminated "sharps", one in 30 of
getting hepatitis C and one in 300 of HIV. |
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Social Costs of Occupational Disease and Injury |
“These huge
financial costs are being borne by – and impacting upon – employers,
employees and society,” says Pearce. “And of course the effects are
much more than financial – there are often significant and long-term
social consequences for the injured and sick people and for their
families, workplaces and communities – and further down the track,
the health system, the Government and the economy. “We must address
these costs, and soon. Every year between 700 and 1,000 people die
from occupational disease and 100 people die from occupational
injury. We also see up to 20,000 cases of new work-related diseases,
and about 200,000 work-related injuries that result in claims to
ACC. This is a huge and unacceptable burden for New Zealand to
bear.” |
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South Africa: Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases
Amendment Bill |
COSATU wishes to
use the opportunity of its submission to Parliament’s Labour
Portfolio Committee on the Compensation for Occupational Injuries
and Diseases Amendment Bill ("COIDA Amendment Bill") to re-emphasise
the need for effectively enforced legislation to provide for the
compensation of South African workers who are injured or who
contract disease in the course of their employment. |
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|
Standard Precautions and Bloodborne Pathogens-A training for Child
Care providers |
Power Point
presentation-Standard Precautions apply to blood, other body fluids
containing blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Standard
Precautions do not apply to feces, nasal secretions, sputum, sweat,
tears, urine, saliva and vomit unless these contain visible blood or
are likely to contain blood. |
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Statistics of occupational injuries |
In recent
decades, a number of countries have considerably developed their
systems for the notification of occupational injuries and for the
collection and compilation of statistics in this field (see, for
example, HSE, 1996; The Danish Labour Inspection Service, 1991; and
United States Department of Labor, 1997). These developments concern
not just the types of data collected and the coverage of the
systems, but also the classifications used in order to improve the
data available for prevention purposes. In addition, in January
1990, the European Union launched a study on European Statistics on
Accidents at Work (ESAW), aimed at formulating proposals for the
harmonization of statistics of accidents at work throughout the
European Union. The project is managed jointly by the Statistical
Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT) and the
Directorate-General for Employment, Industrial Relations and Social
Affairs (DGV). Considerable progress has been achieved in this
project in the development of common variables relating to
occupational injuries and accidents, together with their respective
classification systems, which are crucial to the goal of
harmonization (EUROSTAT, 1992 and 1997). |
Pdf 159 kb |
|
Surveillance of Health Care Workers with HIV/AIDS |
These cases
represented 5.1% of the 453,462 AIDS cases reported to CDC for whom
occupational information was known |
42 kb pdf |
|
Surveillance of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens in
health care workers: the Italian national programme |
Health care workers
(HCWs) face a serious risk of acquiring bloodborne infections, in
particular hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C Virus), and
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), all of which are associated with
significant morbidity and mortality. In 1986 the coordinating centre
of the Italian study on occupational risk of HIV Infection
|
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Surveillance is The First Step to Solving the Problem-EPINet |
Power Point
Presentation explaining a computer program that can be used as a
management tool to identify key areas where needlesticks occur
frequently, thus targeting areas for reduction of risk |
331 kb |
|
The Myth of Workers' Compensation Fraud |
In recent years,
the insurance industry's focus on cheaters and malingerers helped
push through national workers' compensation reform, a profitable
cost-cutting campaign supported by outrage over alleged abuse of the
system. The problem, however, is that the fraud image is false for
the vast majority of workers' compensation cases. Studies show that
only 1 to 2 percent of workers' compensation claims are fraudulent.
Certainly, the tens of thousands of workers killed every year were
hardly aiming for a free ride on their employer's tab. |
|
|
The
needle-stick epidemic |
The
International Health Care Worker Safety Center (University of
Virginia) estimates more than 1 million accidental needle sticks
occur per year. Higher rates have been reported by the Centers for
Disease Control and medical journals. Although nearly invisible to
the public, this epidemic of accidental needle sticks is infecting
thousands of American medical workers with potentially lethal
diseases. It has reached a crisis stage, as each day medical workers
suffer some 2,400 accidental sticks. |
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|
The rate of transmission to susceptible health care workers
|
Gives probability
for infection |
|
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Through the Looking Glass |
Report from Canada
on the results of acquiring Hepatitis C Virus thru blood transfusions and the
changes in lifestyle and standard of living |
305 kb pdf |
|
Transmission and Prevention of Occupational Infections in
Orthopaedic Surgeons |
Surgeons and
health-care workers have always had a high risk of
exposure to blood-borne diseases as a result of their occupation.
Orthopaedic surgeons have substantial occupational exposure
to blood and the risk of blood-borne infection because of
frequent handling of sharp instruments, metal objects
(e.g., wire), and bone fragments during operative
procedures |
|
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Transmission of hepatitis C by blood splash into conjunctiva in a
nurse |
The risk of
transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important
problem for the health care worker. HCV transmission by blood
splashing into eyes is very rare. In a hemodialyses department, a
23-year-old female nurse splashed blood from a patient who was anti-HCV
positive into her eyes. She washed her eyes with water immediately
and reported to the infection control department. She had never used
intravenous drugs nor received transfusions. At the time of
exposure, there was no abnormality in her laboratory tests. Her
anti-HCV and HCV-RNA tests produced negative results.
|
Pdf 65 kb |
|
Unaffordable medication
|
Testimony of Alan
Sager on winning affordable medications for all Americans
|
27 kb pdf |
|
US Federal employees: Reporting Occupational Injuries, Illnesses and
Diseases |
The Federal
Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) provides monetary compensation,
medical care, vocational rehabilitation and Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) retention rights to Federal employees who sustain
disabling injuries, illnesses or diseases as a result of their
employment with the Federal Government. |
|
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Viral workload |
The impact of
hepatitis C among first responders originally was heralded to be at
epidemic proportions. These claims created a major conflict between
fire service administration, labor unions, public health
organizations, and worker's compensation and risk management
concerns. The demand for scientific evidence to support or refute
the claims of alarming rates of chronic hepatitis C infection caused
the CDC to review available sero-prevalence data among U.S. first
responders. |
|
|
What is the risk of acquiring hepatitis C for health care workers
and what are the recommendations for prophylaxis and follow-up after
occupational exposure to |
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
is most efficiently transmitted by large or repeated percutaneous
exposures to blood, such as through the transfusion of blood or
blood products from infectious donors and sharing of contaminated
needles among injection drug users. Other bloodborne viruses, such
as the hepatitis B virus (HBV), are transmitted not only by overt
percutaneous exposures, but by mucous membrane and in apparent
parenteral exposures. Although these types of exposures are
prevalent among health-care workers, the risk factors for HCV
transmission in this occupational setting are not well-defined. |
|
|
Work-related Death: A continuing Epidemic |
Work-related
illnesses and injuries kill approximately 1.1 million people per
year. In 1992, an estimated 65,000 people in the United States died
of occupational injuries or illness |
71 kb pdf |
|
Worker's Compensation |
Too often,
employers and insurance carriers are able to avoid their
responsibility to injured workers simply because the workers do not
know their rights under the Workers' Compensation Act. Next to being
aware of the hazards of your particular workplace, the most
important weapon you can have to protect yourself in the event of a
work-related injury or fatality is your knowledge of your rights
under the Workers' Compensation Act. |
|
|
Workers’ Compensation |
This information
brief explains workers’ compensation in Minnesota including its
history, what is covered under the law, benefits available to an
employee and an employee’s dependents, and how disputes are
resolved. A glossary at the end defines agencies and terms. |
Pdf 38 kb |
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The Hawaii
Supreme Court recently found three dentists liable for
the workers’ compensation benefits of a dental hygienist
diagnosed with hepatitis C—even though the hygienist may
have contracted the disease before she was employed by some
or all of the dentists…As this article was being written, the
Hawaii court was reviewing motions to reconsider its
ruling in this case |
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Workers Compensation list |
List of Workers
Compensation offices throughout the US |
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