Thursday, October 29, 2009
NIOSH's Howard emphasizes protection for health care workers
Calling mitigation of transmissible diseases the "last frontier of health care worker protection," NIOSH Director John Howard said the health care industry must learn from the H1N1 influenza pandemic to prepare for future pandemics.
Howard spoke Tuesday at an occupational safety and health keynote at the National Safety Council's 2009 Congress & Expo in Orlando, FL.
The industry needs to change its culture, which accepts the risks of exposure to biological hazards as part of employment, Howard said. He suggested employers take steps to minimize exposures through engineering controls, source control and administration controls, including vaccinations. Employers should encourage, promote and administer vaccinations of influenza for both health care workers and first responders, he said. Noting the recent controversy in New York, where vaccinations were required among health care workers before the order was suspended last week, Howard said such a mandate should be "clearly and dispassionately thought about."
He also touched on the recent debate of whether facemasks are as effective in preventing disease transmission as respirators. When a supply of respirators cannot be maintained, Howard said facemasks should be provided, noting that although they "don't fit, they leak and they don't filter," the masks "are better than nothing."