Jan. 8, 2010
Contact: Office of Communications
Phone: 202-693-1999

New OSHA videos provide respirator and facemask safety guidance

WASHINGTON — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has developed two new videos for healthcare workers that feature training and guidance on respirator safety.

OSHA’s “Respirator Safety” video demonstrates how to correctly put on and take off common types of respirators, such as N95s. “The Difference between Respirators and Surgical Masks” video explains how they prevent exposure to infectious diseases.

“Respirators play an important role in protecting many workers from exposure to chemical and biological hazards in the workplace,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. “At a time when pandemic influenza has highlighted the risk to healthcare workers, these videos will prepare and protect workers from the very illnesses they are responsible for treating.”

The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection. Viewers may watch both English and Spanish versions by visiting OSHA’s Respiratory Protection page or the Department of Labor’s YouTube site.

According to OSHA’s respiratory protection standard 29 CFR 1910.134, respirators must be used as part of a comprehensive respiratory protection plan.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor#p/u/4/Tzpz5fko-fg

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OSHA Recordkeeping Guidance for Recording the Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus

We were wrong. Back in October we posted an article in our monthly newsletter saying it was not necessary to record on your OSHA 300 log any cases of the Swine Flu or H1N1 virus. We based this on the recordkeeping standard 1904.5(b)(2)(viii) which states that the common cold or flu are not recordable. However, OSHA has now made the following statement on the bottom of their main recordkeeping webpage:

Employers are responsible for recording cases of 2009 H1N1 illness if all of the following requirements are met: (1) the case is a confirmed case of 2009 H1N1 illness as defined by CDC; (2) the case is work-related as defined by 1904.5; and (3) the case involves one or more of the recording criteria set forth in 1904.7 (e.g., medical treatment, days away from work). Per CPL-02-02-075.

Note: This recording criteria applies to all establishments covered by PART 1904.

Here is some additional supporting information:

As you are probably aware, human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States and internationally. In order to be proactive, the Agency is requesting our recordkeeping coordinators to follow the following guidelines when considering recording these exposures.

Is the Swine Influenza A (H1N1) virus considered a common cold or flu?

No.   CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1)) virus as a contagious disease. The 1904.5(b)(2)(viii) exception for the common cold or flu does not apply in these cases.

If a worker has an exposure to the Swine Influenza A (H1N1) virus, is that recordable?

No.   Exposures in and of themselves are not recordable. A case of Swine Flu is recordable if they meet the following requirements:

1.A confirmed case* of swine influenza A (H1N1) as defined by CDC (not an exposure).

2.The case is work related. You must consider an injury or illness to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment.

3.The case involves any one of the following: medical treatment, days away from work, restricted work activity, loss of consciousness, or death.

* A confirmed case of H1N1 infection is defined as a person with an acute febrile respiratory illness with laboratory confirmed H1N1 infection at CDC by one or more of the following tests:

1.real-time RT-PCR

2.viral culture

How do I handle a case if it is not obvious whether the precipitating event or exposure occurred in the work environment or occurred away from work?

In most situations, you must evaluate the employee’s work duties and environment to decide whether or not one or more events or exposures in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition. However, because this illness can be contracted from any setting, there should be a known exposure in the workplace to establish work-relationship.

NOTE: If a confirmed case of swine influenza A (H1N1) is reported in the workplace, workers in close contact with this individual may take up to 7 days to show symptoms.

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US Labor Department’s OSHA issues compliance directive to address flu prevention for health care workers.

For the protection of frontline health care and emergency medical workers at high risk of infection, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued a compliance directive to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus.

The directive closely follows the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance.

“OSHA has a responsibility to ensure that the more than nine million frontline health care workers in the United States are protected to the extent possible against exposure to the virus,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “OSHA will ensure health care employers use proper controls to protect all workers, particularly those who are at high or very high risk of exposure.”

In response to complaints, OSHA inspectors will ensure that health care employers implement a hierarchy of controls, and encourage vaccination and other work practices recommended by the CDC. Where respirators are required to be used, the OSHA Respiratory Protection standard must be followed, including worker training and fit testing. The directive also applies to institutional settings where some workers may have similar exposures, such as schools and correctional facilities.

The CDC recommends the use of respiratory protection that is at least as protective as a fit-tested disposable N95 respirator for health care personnel who are in close contact (within 6 feet) with patients who have suspected or confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza.

Where respirators are not commercially available, an employer will be considered to be in compliance if the employer can show a good faith effort has been made to acquire respirators.

Where OSHA inspectors determine that a facility has not violated any OSHA requirements but that additional measures could enhance the protection of employees, OSHA may provide the employer with a hazard alert letter outlining suggested measures to further protect workers.

The 2009 H1N1 influenza is transmitted via direct or indirect person-to-person spreading of infectious droplets passed when an influenza patient coughs, sneezes, talks or breathes. Transmission occurs when expelled infectious droplets or particles make direct or indirect contact with the mucus membranes of the mouth, nose or eyes of an uninfected person. The OSHA directive and other guidelines show steps to eliminate the hazard.

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Scenario: Your business is in the middle of flu season and many employees are calling in sick. Two of the employees are claiming that they have been diagnosed by their doctors with the H1N1 flu. They say they contracted the flu at work from a co-worker who was also diagnosed with the H1N1. The two employees want you to record their illnesses because they say they got the flu at work.

Question: Are you required to record these flu related illnesses? 

Answer: The OSHA standard states that the common cold or flu are not recordable.  However, OSHA recently (Early December 2009) posted this statement on the very bottom of the Recordkeeping page of the OSHA website: 

H1N1: Employers are responsible for recording cases of 2009 H1N1 illness if all of the following requirements are met:

(1) the case is a confirmed case of 2009 H1N1 illness as defined by CDC;

(2) the case is work-related as defined by 1904.5; and

(3) the case involves one or more of the recording criteria set forth in 1904.7 (e.g., medical treatment, days away from work). Per CPL-02-02-075.

Note: This recording criteria applies to all establishments covered by PART 1904.

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