Health workers treating patients with suspected or confirmed illness are at higher risk of infection than other groups. During an outbreak a number of important actions will reduce or stop the spread of the virus and protect health workers and others in the healthcare setting.

The governor of North Carolina has signed into law a bill which requires the North Carolina Department of Labor to develop and enforce regulations that conform to NIOSH recommendations that protect healthcare workers who work with or near hazardous materials and antineoplastic agents from disease and injury caused by exposure.

The California Nurses Association says new state regulations by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board will result in improved safety for patients, registered nurses, and other staff in lifting and other handling of hospitalized patients.

Two recent cases of OSHA enforcement illustrate how workplace violence can pose a threat to workers in vastly different industries. Corizon Health Inc., which provides medical, dental and psychiatric services to inmates at the Rikers Island correctional facility in New York City, was cited by OSHA for knowingly failing to protect its employees adequately against workplace violence and assault.

Standard, contact, and droplet precautions are recommended for management of hospitalized patients with known or suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF), also referred to as Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) (See Table below).

The prevalence of infectious diseases, such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, SARS and avian flu, have raised the concern of hospital personnel over the possibility of acquiring such infections. Healthcare workers (HCWs) in or outside hospitals who have contact with patients, body fluids, or specimens may easily acquire infections from or transmit infections to patients, other personnel, or loved ones.

Registered nurses are among those keeping close watch on a California measure to protect the state’s healthcare workers from work-related violence as it moves from one Senate committee to another this week.

The CDC is offering an online course to help healthcare workers better understand the scope and nature of violence that can occur in their workplace.