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Tuberculosis in the workplace: OSHA's compliance experience
M McDiarmid1, M J Gamponia, M A Ryan
1Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC 20210.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Facilities showed poor compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines for preventing tuberculosis (TB) transmission. While administrative controls were met, respiratory protection programs for occupational TB prevention were significantly lacking.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Infectious Disease Control
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) transmission poses a significant risk in various facility types.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established guidelines for TB prevention.
- Compliance with these guidelines is crucial for protecting workers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess compliance with OSHA's TB prevention requirements.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of TB control measures in different facility settings.
- To identify areas of non-compliance in occupational TB prevention.
Main Methods:
- Conducted 272 inspections of diverse facilities between May 1992 and October 1994.
- Utilized OSHA's Compliance Memorandum (based on 1990 CDC Guidelines) for inspections.
- Reviewed data from OSHA's IMIS database and inspector questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Overall compliance with OSHA TB prevention guidance was suboptimal.
- Healthcare facilities generally demonstrated better compliance than other settings.
- While 79% met administrative TB control elements, only 29% had adequate respiratory protection programs.
Conclusions:
- Facilities require improvement in adhering to OSHA's TB protection memorandum.
- Compliance is stronger for traditional infection control but weaker for respiratory protection.
- A potential lack of familiarity with respiratory hazard protection may explain compliance gaps.