To help protect emergency first responders from exposure to the Ebola virus, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is seeking comments to a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) to NFPA 1999, Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations.

Ebola featured prominently in the EHS-related news featured on ISHN this week – including an article on how employers can prepare to safeguard their workers from the illness. In other news. OSHA opened the comment period on its PELs update and federal agencies joined forces with a top telephone carrier to reduce communications tower worker deaths.

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.