BookAmber Hogan Mitchell.
Summary: This book is a practical guide for preventing occupational exposures to bloodborne and infectious disease in health care. It is a timely and essential resource given that people working in healthcare settings sustain a higher incidence of occupational illness than any other industry sector, and at the time of publication of this book we are in the midst of a global pandemic of COVID-19. While the guide is focused on health care primarily, it would be useful for preventing exposures to essential workers in many other industries as well. The guide offers easy-to-follow instruction, all in one place, for creating, implementing, and evaluating occupational health and safety programs. Readers have practical information that they can use now to either build a new program or expand an existing one that protects workers from occupationally associated illness and infection. With a focus on the public health significance of building better, safer programs in health care, the book provides not just the evidence-based or data-driven reasoning behind building successful programs, but also includes sample programs, plans, checklists, campaigns, and record-keeping and surveillance tools. Topics explored among the chapters include: • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulatory Compliance • Other Regulatory Requirements, National Standards, and Accreditation • Performing a Hazard Assessment and Building an Exposure Control Plan • Engineering Controls and Safer Medical Devices • Personal Protective Equipment Placement and Use • Facing a Modern Pandemic Preventing Occupational Exposures to Infectious Disease in Health Care is a comprehensive resource for both seasoned and novice professionals with primary, secondary, or ancillary responsibility for occupational or employee health and safety, infection prevention, risk management, or environmental health and safety in a variety of healthcare or patient care settings. It also would appeal to those working in public health, nursing, medical, or clinical technical trades with an interest in infection prevention and control and/or occupational health and infectious disease.
Contents:
1. IntroductionThe introduction to the guide describes why it serves as a resource to be used by those with the greatest responsibility of all The concepts of the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls are introduced. The hierarchy is an evidence-based method to help readers build, design, and evaluate preventive strategies that provide the highest and most productive levels of protection. It also provides information on workers' rights, whistleblowing, and personnel-based opportunities for change. 4. Microbiology
Chapter 4 provides a background on the most epidemiologically important microbes likely to be an occupational exposure risk Serving as a Microbiology 101 for non-microbiologists. It can be incorporated into new employee onboarding or annual refresher training. It describes how microorganisms propagate and transmit and why some microorganisms cause disease (are pathogenic). It provides control strategies to mitigate exposure risk for personnel, leadership, and the communities they serve. It also highlights the critical elements of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis and Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans. 5. Regulatory Compliance; OSHA StandardsThere are surprisingly few regulatory standards or laws that apply to occupational infection prevention and control. The bulk of the standards are promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This chapter provides in-depth information on the elements of OSHA Standards applicable to infectious disease in health care, including the Bloodborne Pathogens, Respiratory Protection, and Personal Protective Equipment Standards.