The CDC and OSHA
Posted By Chris on July 4, 2011
What is OSHA?
OSHA is the acronym for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the Federal Government created by Congress in 1970 under The Department of Labor. OSHA mandates compliance with standards set for employee safety in the workplace. In 1991 OSHA developed the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to protect workers from the risk associated with sharps injuries, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B & C. Congress developed The Needle stick Safety and Prevention Act in 2000 and OSHA revised the Standard to include the modifications in 2001. OSHA NEEDLESTICK SAFETY ACT
OSHA developed Universal Precautions to protect health care workers from coming in contact with all potentially infected blood and body fluids during patient care. This includes hand washing and the use of barriers such as gloves, gowns and masks when indicated.
What is the CDC? CDC is the acronym for the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, an agency of the Federal Government under the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is concerned with Public Health, safety and the prevention and control of disease.
Based on the fact that we cannot know a patient’s status with certainty, The CDC recommends Standard Precautions for the care of all patients no matter their diagnosis. Standard Precautions include the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to provide a barrier to blood and body fluids. PPE consists of gloves, gowns, masks. Standard Precautions
Hand washing and alcohol hand sanitizers are used appropriately before and after contact with each patient, before and after donning gloves, passing medications, using the restroom, eating, inserting contacts or applying makeup.
Transmission Based Precautions are recommended to provide additional precautions when it is known or suspected a patient is infected or colonized with a significant pathogen. These precautions are based on the pathogen and their mode of transmission. Transmission Prevention
They include:
Airborne Precautions for pathogens that travel through small particles in the air such as Tuberculosis. Airborne Precautions usually require the use of N-95 respirators and negative pressure rooms for patient care, options not normally available in Long-term Care.
Droplet Precautions are indicated for pathogens traveling on large droplets propelled in the air through respiratory secretions while sneezing, coughing or talking. These droplets travel about 3 feet; if it is expected the worker will come within 3 feet of the patient they wear a mask. If the patient is transported from the room, they wear a mask. Examples of droplet isolation include the influenza viruses, Pneumonias, and Meningitis.
Contact Precautions are used for infectious pathogens that are transmitted from skin to skin and by contact with a contaminated environment. Examples are C. Difficile, Noro Viruses, MRSA, and VRE.
Take a look at the plentiful resources avaiable on both OSHA and the CDC web sites; you can easily download Infection Control Guidelines to your desk top for quick references.
Would like to preview an infection control manual for our facility. Who would you reommend to contact?
Thanks
Sharon
Have you chosen a manual? Did you try APIC’s Infection Control Manuals? Go to APIC.org and then at the top choose store. There you will find options for Infection Control Manuals.