Infection Control Today Magazine

Occupational Exposures

OSHA Explores Infectious Exposure Issues

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is continuing to examine occupational exposure to infectious agents in healthcare settings, and members of the infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology communities are weighing in with their perspectives as ...More
January 6, 2012
Posted in Articles, Policies and Practice, PPE & Standard Precautions
Hospital Safety Climate Linked to Both Patient and Nurse Injuries, Study Reveals

A safe working environment for nurses is also a safe environment for the patients in their care, according to a new study led by public health researchers at Drexel University. Researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor in Drexel’s School of Public ...More
November 7, 2011
Posted in News, Policies and Practice
OSHA Most Frequently Cites ASCs for Bloodborne Pathogen Violations

Although more than half of the surgeries in the U.S. are performed inambulatory care centers, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) resources and safety oversight may lag significantly behind those of their hospital counterparts. In the past four years, the Occupational Safety ...More
November 1, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Occupational Exposures to Blood and Body Fluids Remain Common Despite Safety Devices, Education

Amy M. Treakle, MD, an infectious diseases and infection control expert at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues, sought to analyze a decade of hospital staff and student exposures to blood and body fluids (BBF) and to identify risk factors ...More
October 7, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Healthcare Worker Risks from Short Peripheral Catheter Insertion

Insertion of short peripheral intravenous catheters is an extremely frequent procedure in many healthcare settings. In fact, an estimated 330 million catheters are sold annually in the United States. Nurses are very familiar with the risk of these devices to patients ...More
August 10, 2011
Posted in Articles, Infections & Pathogens
Are Gastroenterological Personnel at Increased Risk of Helicobacter pylori Infection?

Helicobacter pylori is a widely spread bacterium that mainly inhabits the gastric mucosa and can lead to serious illnesses such as peptic ulcer disease, gastric carcinoma and gastric MALT lymphoma, and the oral-oral route seems to be the main transmission route. Claudia ...More
May 31, 2011
Posted in News
Perioperative Sharps Safety Requires Teamwork, Education

While clinical activities on hospital floors such as injections or starting IVs pose the constant threat of percutaneous injuries, nowhere is the danger more real than in the fast-paced operating room environment. Knowing this, the Association of periOperative Registered ...More
April 15, 2011
Posted in Articles
Hypodermic Needle Puncture Resistance Standard Developed by ASTM Protective Clothing Committee

Due to risk of infection from bloodborne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C, hypodermic needlesticks pose a life-safety risk to healthcare professionals, law enforcement officials, sanitation workers and others. A new ASTM International ...More
March 15, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Tops AOHP's List of HCW Concerns

On behalf of healthcare professionals nationwide, the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP) conducted a member survey in August 2010 to identify healthcare workers’ top issues and concerns. AOHP has released its 2011-2013 Public Policy ...More
February 25, 2011
Posted in News
Study Explores Nurses' Compliance With Standard Precautions

Nurses may acquire an infection during the provision of nursing care because of occupational exposure to microorganisms. Relevant literature reports that compliance with standard precautions (a set of guidelines that can protect healthcare professionals from being exposed ...More
January 24, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions