Infectious Disease:
Healthcare Workers have a Right to be Protected

Risk to Healthcare Workers

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the healthcare sector has one of the highest rates of work related injuries and illnesses. Healthcare workers face being exposed to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), Influenza, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria, and other viruses and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Today, healthcare workers also must deal with a range of emerging infectious diseases such as SARS, avian influenza and may increasingly be exposed to organisms previously limited to other continents, such as Ebola or Zika.

All workers can be exposed and need to know how to protect themselves. It’s an employers’ responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Click here for more information on key employers’ responsibilities.

For additional information including: infectious diseases and routes of transmission, infection control expertise, disinfection and workplace regulations to protect workers see WEC’s infectious disease factsheet. WEC has also produced a radio and television public service announcement about infectious disease.

WEC can provide free training such as Needlestick Prevention and Post-Exposure Procedures. For more information please contact Cecelia Leto, at (609) 882-6100 ext. 308 or via email at cgilliganleto @ njwec.org (no spaces).

RESOURCES

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

This material was produced under grants SH-24385- 13-60- F-34, SH-26288- SH4 and SH-27654- SH5 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial productions, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.