The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidelines for the cleaning and decontamination of Ebola in non-health care and non-laboratory settings.

Under the new guidelines, employers must provide personal protective equipment to all workers responsible for cleaning surfaces suspected of Ebola contamination. Employers also must ensure that workers are not exposed to harmful levels of chemicals when performing cleaning and disinfection tasks.

Additionally, OSHA recommends the use of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfectant that is effective against non-enveloped viruses when cleaning a surface that may be contaminated with Ebola.

To view the full list of guidelines, click here.

Registered nurses in the United States are requesting the public to sign a petition that demands hospital and health care employers to institute the highest possible Ebola infection prevention protocols.

The petition calls for U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to immediately mandate uniform standards and protocols for all hospitals and health care facilities nationwide. The nurses are demanding enhanced training and personal protective equipment to protect all health care facility workers from possible Ebola infection.

The National Nurses Union, the largest U.S. union of nurses, has organized several rallies this week at hospitals and federal buildings throughout the country to raise public awareness.

For more information and to sign the petition, click here.

District health officials plan to explain Thursday how hospitals in Washington would respond should they identify a patient with Ebola.

Department of Health Director Dr. Joxel Garcia plans to address reporters on local preparedness following concerns health workers at a Dallas hospital were caught unprepared to safely treat the first case of Ebola in the U.S. 

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The new ISSA Clean Standard: K-12 helps schools and other institutional facilities objectively assess the effectiveness of their cleaning processes, contributing to the quality of the indoor environment for the benefit of students and staff. 


As members of ISSA and APPA, we support the efforts to educate the decisions makers responsible for maintaining these facilities. 


This video is designed to illustrate the importance of effective cleaning in these unique environments.

Prevention is Better than Cure

It is becoming increasingly clear that the best way to deal with disease is not to treat it but to prevent it, and some strategies are rather simple. For example, experts agree that good personal hygiene is an important component in preventing the spread of bacteria and germs. Another critical component is hygienic cleaning of environmental surfaces, especially those that come into direct contact with skin. In fact, the more we understand about disease and how it is transferred, the more clear the importance of cleaning becomes. In fact it's considered by many healthcare professionals and environmental scientists as our first line of defense against infectious disease.

This short video details some of the methods and processes we utilize to help prevent disease from having the opportunity to spread throughout your Government Office, University, School, or Commercial facility.

Traditional cleaning methods just transfer dirt and disease from one location to another. Learn how we completely remove the soil from your restrooms a help prevent the spread of disease.

With the concerns of various strains of Influenza and the recent news of Ebola, we are sharing this information from OSHA for protecting workers from a Pandemic. Although not all facilities are as susceptible to an outbreak, the information is beneficial and will help you better prepare yourself and your facility when and if a Pandemic occurs.

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak and can be caused by a variety of agents, including influenza and coronaviruses. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace not only from patients to workers in healthcare settings, but also among co-workers and between members of the general public and workers in other types of workplaces.

Workers who believe that their employer provides a safe and healthy workplace are more likely to report for work during a pandemic. Clear communication promotes confidence in the employer’s ability to protect workers and reduces absenteeism.

Employers should ensure that their workers understand:

  •     Differences between seasonal epidemics and worldwide pandemic disease outbreaks;

•     Which job activities may put them at risk for exposure to sources of infection;

•     What options may be available for working remotely, or utilizing an employer’s flexible leave policy when they are sick;

•     Social distancing strategies, including avoiding close physical contact (e.g., shaking hands) and large gatherings of people;

•     Good hygiene and appropriate disinfection procedures;

•     What personal protective equipment (PPE) is available, and how to wear, use, clean and store it properly;

•     What medical services (e.g., vaccination, post- exposure medication) may be available to them; and

•     How supervisors will provide updated pandemic-related communications, and where to direct their questions.

Sick Leave 

 Employers may consider providing sick leave so that workers may stay home if they are sick. Flexible leave policies help stop the spread of disease, including to healthy workers.

Principles of worker protection:

✓   Consistently practice social distancing.

✓   Cover coughs and sneezes.

✓   Maintain hand hygiene.

✓   Clean surfaces frequently.

Training
 
Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, employers should provide worker training on infection controls, including the importance of avoiding close contact (within 6 feet) with others. Employers should provide adequate

supplies and ready access to soap and running water, tissues, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and cleaning agents. Some worksites may need PPE (e.g., gloves, face shields, and respirators). Frequent visual and verbal reminders to workers can improve compliance with hand hygiene practices and thus reduce rates of infection.

Handwashing posters are available from the CDC: www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing.


Control Measures 


Employers may modify the work environment and/or change work practices to provide additional protection to workers and clients. For example, employers may install physical barriers (e.g., clear plastic sneeze guards), conduct business in a different manner (e.g., use drive-through service windows, implement telework arrangements), improve ventilation (e.g., install high-efficiency air fi ters, increase ventilation rates), install additional hand sanitizer dispensers, provide facial tissues, and have workers use PPE. Employers should select equipment, such as surgical masks and respirators as described below, that will protect workers against infectious diseases to which they may be exposed.

For additional information, see OSHA’s Fact Sheet “Respiratory Infection Control: Respirators versus Surgical Masks” at www.osha.gov/ Publications/respirators-vs-surgicalmasks- factsheet.pdf.


Depending on the pandemic, a vaccine may or may not be available to protect people from illness. If available, employers may offer appropriate vaccines to workers to reduce the number of those at risk for infection in their workplace.

Risk Communication 

Workers should be aware of the exposure risk level associated with their job duties. In addition, a pandemic may disproportionately affect people in certain age groups or with specific health histories. Workers with job-related exposure to infections who voluntarily disclose personal health risks should be considered

for job accommodations and/or additional protective measures, e.g., use of PPE.

Higher risk work setting


include those healthcare workplaces where: infected patients may congregate; clinical specimens are handled or transported; or materials contaminated with blood or infectious wastes are handled. These settings warrant: use of physical barriers to control the spread of infectious disease; worker and client management to promote social distancing; and adequate and appropriate

PPE, hygiene and cleaning supplies. Additional information, including an OSHA Fact Sheet on exposure risks in healthcare workplaces, can be found on OSHA’s Publications page: www.osha. gov/publications. Employers and workers can also learn about preparedness for pandemics and other events at OSHA’s Emergency Preparedness and Response page: www.osha. gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness.

Assistance for Employers

OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result  in penalties or citations. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing safety and health management systems. To locate the OSHA On-site Consultation Program nearest you, call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit www.osha.gov/consultation.

Note: This document provides guidance for employers during a pandemic, but is not intended to cover all OSHA standards that may apply. State Plans adopt and enforce their own occupational safety and health standards at www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp.