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9/11 workers struggle to get workers’ comp |
Half a dozen doctors testified on his behalf. Experts on
9/11-related diseases confirmed his claims. A picture of him working
on a smoldering pile of rubble at ground zero offered hard
evidence…Still, for Joe Picurro, it wasn’t enough. The New York
State Workers’ Compensation Board ruled he still hadn’t proven his
health problems were due to his 28 days as a volunteer during the
9/11 cleanup. He hadn’t even proven he’d actually worked at the
site, they said, saying the photograph could have been doctored. |
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1998 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
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Give information
and site information for downloading public use data and
documentation for the 1998 NHIS |
178 kb pdf |
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Actuarial Aspects of Dread Disease Products
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Dread
Disease/Critical Illness insurance has attracted much attention
because it differs significantly from other life products in that
the benefit is paid upon occurrence of a specific disease rather
upon death |
526 kb pdf |
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Arizona statutes under the heading "Communicable Disease Related
Information" |
A person who obtains communicable disease related information
in the course of providing a health service or obtains that
information from a health care provider pursuant to an authorization
shall not disclose or be compelled to disclose that information
except to the following:
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Australia Occupational Exposure |
The data on occupational injuries and diseases contained in the
National Workers' Compensation Statistics database have been
compiled by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC)
from information supplied by Commonwealth, State and Territory
workers' compensation authorities. These agencies processed workers'
compensation claims received from insurance companies, self-insurers
and some government departments |
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BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN |
Department of
the Army control plan- To prescribe policies, responsibilities and
procedures for implementation of the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure
Control Plan (BBPECP) to meet the letter and intent of the OSHA
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). OSHA has enacted
this standard to "reduce occupational exposure to Hepatitis B Virus
(HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other bloodborne
pathogens". This plan details measures WRAMC and its employees will
take to decrease the risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens
and provide appropriate treatment and counseling should an employee
be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. |
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Bombay Police test positive
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"Around 450 policemen have tested positive for HIV," Prem Kishan
Jain, joint police commissioner for administration, said. The figure
is initial, with medical data not yet compiled for much of Bombay's
40,000-strong police force. |
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Carbondale
Elementary School District 95-Illinois |
An employee with a communicable or chronic infectious disease
shall be evaluated by the District's Superintendent and the
employee, and a representative selected by each if so desired by
the employee. The employee's medical condition shall be held in
strictest confidence by the Superintendent, with only the employee's
direct supervisors being informed of the employee's medical condition
if deemed necessary by the Superintendent.
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CDC report on occupational exposure to Blood Pathogens
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Explanation of the
reporting system and what to do |
37 kb pdf |
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Changes in
workers' compensation laws during 2001 |
The
issue of coverage under workers' compensation laws received a great
deal of attention in 2001. For example, extending presumptions of
coverage for certain diseases suffered by law enforcement officers
or firefighters, or both, occurred in Arizona, California, Florida,
Maryland, and Virginia. |
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Code of practice for funeral workers: managing
infection risk and body bagging |
There is substantial variation in the advice given to funeral
workers on handling bodies with infection risk. Inconsistent advice
results in inappropriate practice. A model code of practice is
presented that uses risk assessment in response to statutory and
executive responsibilities to provide health and safety advice to
funeral workers. The code of practice should increase compliance
with safety requirements, avoid unnecessary bagging and allow
bereaved families freer access to the deceased. |
Pdf 37 kb |
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COMPENSATION FOR OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE: HIDDEN
AGENDAS |
This article explores the values implicit in the long-standing
debate over the mechanisms for compensating victims of occupational
disease. We begin by reviewing the: treatment of workers’ health and
safety at common law, the background for modern remedies. We then
turn to workers’ compensation, which today provides the basis for
most of the payments to victims of workplace injury. Finally, we
look at possible future solutions to the problems of disease
compensation. |
Pdf 112 kb |
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Costs of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses |
Most Americans
between the ages of 22 and 65 spend 40 to 50 percent of waking hours
at work. Every year millions of Americans suffer injuries and
thousands experience deaths in our workplaces. Yet little effort has
been made to estimate either the extent of these injuries, deaths,
and diseases or their cost to the economy. Thus, important questions
about workplace safety and the economic resources expended due to
workplace health problems remain unanswered. In this study, we
address these questions by presenting estimates of the incidence,
prevalence, and costs of workplace-related injuries, illnesses, and
deaths for the entire civilian workforce of the United States in
1992. We also consider controversies surrounding cost methodologies,
estimate how these costs are distributed across occupations,
consider who pays the costs, and address some policy issues |
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Direct Cost of Follow-up for Percutaneous and Mucocutaneous
Exposures |
Published by the
International Health Care Worker Safety Center at the University of
Virginia |
48 kb pdf |
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Disease
management. |
Research report
compiled for the insurance industry to manage diseases |
211 kb pdf |
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Epidemiological Notes on Occupational
Exposure |
As of
March 14, 1988, a total of 55,315 adults with AIDS had been reported
to CDC. Occupational information was available for 47,532 of these
persons, 2,586 (5.4%) of whom were classified as health-care workers |
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Estimating Future Hepatitis C Morbidity, Mortality, and Cost in the
United States |
Objectives: This
study estimated future morbidity, mortality, and the costs resulting
from hepatitis C virus |
133 kb pdf |
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Exposure of healthcare workers in England,
Wales, and Northern Ireland to bloodborne viruses between July 1997
and June 2000: analysis of surveillance data |
The transmission of bloodborne viruses to healthcare workers can
have serious consequences not only for clinical practice but also,
because of the requirements of health and safety legislation, for
their employers. In spite of guidance and education, however, many
healthcare workers continue to be exposed to bloodborne viruses
from percutaneous, mucocutaneous, or other injuries. An enhanced
system of surveillance of occupational exposure to bloodborne
viruses was introduced in mid1997, developing the passive system
that was set up after the first reported case (in 1984) in the
United Kingdom of HIV seroconversion associated with needlestick
injury. |
Pdf 360 kb |
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Exposure to Blood: What Healthcare Personnel Need to Know |
Exposures occur
through needlesticks or cuts from other sharp instruments
contaminated with an infected patient’s blood or through contact of
the eye, nose, mouth, or skin with a patient’s blood. Important
factors that influence the overall risk for occupational exposures
to bloodborne pathogens include the number of infected individuals
in the patient population and the type and number of blood contacts. |
364 kb pdf |
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Eye of the Needle-Hep B, Hep C, HIV- United
Kingdom Surveillance of Significant Occupational Exposures to
Bloodborne Viruses in Healthcare Workers.
(Large
report-Increase download time) |
The active surveillance of significant occupational exposures in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland for bloodborne viruses was
implemented in July 1997.1 Under the scheme, occupational exposures
include2 percutaneous exposures, where the skin has been broken by a
needle/other sharp object, human scratch or bite and mucocutaneous
exposures, where the mucous membranes (mouth, nose or eyes), or
non-intact skin have been contaminated. A significant exposure is a
percutaneous or mucocutaneous exposure to blood or other body fluids
from a source that is known to be, or as a result of the incident
found to be, HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV, or HIV positive. |
Pdf 2685 kb |
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Financial and Risk Considerations for Successful Disease Management
Programs |
Report for the
insurance industry-this paper introduces disease management risk
concepts in general, along with a discussion of risk and financial
evaluation considerations, and a brief case study illustrating these
principles. |
211 kb pdf |
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GUIDELINES
FOR HIV TESTING IN VA FACILITIES FOLLOWING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES |
This information
letter provides guidance concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) testing in occupational exposure situations; clarifies
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy about testing for HIV,
and includes a collection of consensus recommendations of a
Committee that included experts in the field of HIV, Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and occupational safety. |
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HAS THE POINT BEEN MADE? |
There is a
growing awareness within the health service of the impact of
needlestick injuries and the need to introduce policies and
procedures that will reduce their occurrence, in conjunction with
the use of anti-needlestick devices. SafeGard Medical is a company
that specialises in providing these devices. |
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Hazards of needlesticks-Sharp End
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Needlestick
injuries are up there with slips, trips and falls as one of the top
accident risks in UK hospitals. Safer devices are available and
would remove a possibly lethal infection hazard-so why aren’t
hospitals using them? |
144 kb pdf |
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HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND HEPATITIS C VIRUS
|
Health care workers
are at occupational risk for acquiring this infection because Hepatitis C Virus is
transmitted by direct percutaneous exposure to blood. The CDC
recommends that individual health care institutions consider
establishing policies and procedures for follow-up of infection with
Hepatitis C Virus after percutaneous or permucosal exposures to blood.
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Health care workers infected with HIV, Hepatitis B or
Hepatitis C-Australia |
This circular extends policy on health care workers
infected with blood borne viruses to include hepatitis C. All
health care workers in New South Wales who perform exposure prone
procedures are required to know their blood blorne virus status.
A HCW who either HCV PCR positive or HIV positive or HbeAg positive
or HBV DNA positive must not perform exposure prone procedures. |
45 kb pdf |
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Healthcare Exposure
|
Deals with
poisoning and Toxicity with areas of the insurance industry that are
found in the work area |
471 kb pdf |
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HEALTHCARE WORKERS: PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT OUR HEALTH |
Healthcare-worker protection has lagged behind that afforded
other workers with similarly increased risks. Possible
explanations for the delay in focusing on occupational hazards
faced by healthcare workers are many and likely include the
focus of curative rather than preventive medicine in the
hospital environment; the focus on patient health over worker
health; and the focus within occupational health on
traditionally male occupations and hazards rather than female
workers. |
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Healthcare Workers and Hepatitis C
|
Health care workers
are at occupational risk for acquiring this infection because Hepatitis C Virus is
transmitted by direct percutaneous exposure to blood. Reported in
‘American Family Physician’ |
223 kb pdf |
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HEALTHCARE WORKERS SORE OVER NEEDLES FDA WON’T BAN KIND THAT CAUSE
MOST INJURIES |
A nursing safety
expert asked how many hundreds of medical workers need to die from
contaminated needle sticks before the agency bans standard needles
and syringes that are causing the injuries |
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Hep C in
the Fire Service: |
Do fire, rescue
and EMS personnel face a higher risk of being infected by Hepatitis
C than the general population? They're often exposed to victims’
blood and only recently have the precautions been put in place to
protect them from exposure to blood-borne diseases. The answer to
that question would seem obvious. |
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HEPATITIS C AND POLICE WORK |
There have been many
articles published on the risks of transmission of hepatitis C. All
"emergency workers" are high risk. Not only do police officers work
with the sector of the population most at risk (prison, drug users,
drunks) but they are also first responders to motor vehicle
accidents and domestic disputes. |
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HEPATITIS C and the
fire service: assessing the risk |
The
news that Philadelphia (PA) Fire Depart-ment (PFD) firefighters
screened for hepatitis C (HCV) in 1999 had an infection rate almost
three times the average for the U.S. population vividly reminded the
fire service that complacency in the health and safety arena can be
as deadly as complacency on the fireground. The revelation moved
fire departments to look more closely at their infection-control
policies and means for protecting their members against the
insurance industry and supporting those who already have become infected. |
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Hepatitis C & HIV Co-Infection: an update-Sept. 2003 |
More than 3
percent of the world’s population, about 2 percent of the US
population, and up to 10 percent of US health care workers are
currently infected with the Hepatitis C virus. |
327 kb pdf |
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Hepatitis C Infected Health Care Workers |
Implementing Getting Ahead of the Curve: action on blood-borne
viruses |
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HIV AND THE HEALTH CARE WORKER: Transmission of HIV
in the Health Care |
By
December 31, 1995, the cumulative number of AIDS cases reported in
the U.S. had exceeded 500,000. The CDC currently estimates that 1
million Americans are HIV-infected. Nearly all health care workers (HCWs)
will be involved in some way with the care of these persons who
require frequent visits to clinics and hospitals. This fact is
illustrated by the "Sentinel Hospitals" study which measured HIV
prevalence among hospitalized patients who were not known to be
HIV-infected. The seroprevalence at these 26 hospitals varied from
0.1 percent to 7.85 percent and was as high as 21.7 percent in men
aged 25 to 44 at one hospital1. Well-documented cases of
occupationally acquired HIV infection have understandably raised
concerns among HCWs regarding their own safety. This article reviews
the current data on occupational transmission of HIV infection, the
current methods in place to protect HCWs, and the management of an
occupational exposure to HIV when it occurs |
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HIV,
Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C: Blood-borne Diseases |
Nurses
constantly balance occupational risks with their primary goal of
providing quality health care to all persons. Because threats to
personal well-being may affect practice, nurses must promote a
safe and healthy work environment to protect themselves, their
loved ones, patients, and coworkers. As
front-line providers of health care, nurses have long been
exposed to blood-borne pathogens on the job. The AIDS epidemic
has heightened awareness of this and has broadened our knowledge
of other bloodborne diseases, notably hepatitis-B (HBV) and
hepatitis-C (HCV). |
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HIV test made mandatory for city Police
|
Alarmed at the increasing number of HIV positive cases in the
force, the Mumbai police has decided to make it mandatory for each of
the 38,000 constables and officers up to the rank of inspector to
undergo a HIV test every six months |
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HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C: Preventing Exposure at Work |
This booklet is
for employers and workers who are not expected to come in contact
with blood and body fluids at their workplaces-but who could have
contact with these fluids in rare, isolated incidents that can’t be
foreseen |
637 kb pdf |
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HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C: Preventing Exposure at
Work-Canada |
Most workers won’t ever contact, at work, blood and
certain body fluids that can spread HIV and the hepatitis
B and C viruses. But even employers and workers in
setting where contact with blood and these fluids is not
expected should be aware of some basic precautions.
This is because it is possible to become infected from a
single exposure incident—that is, harmful contact with
infected blood and body fluids. |
825 kb pdf |
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HIV/AIDS in the Workplace |
The spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide, and the growing number
of people affected, makes it very likely that few, if any, global
companies will escape its impact. As the pandemic progresses, an
ever-wider sphere of business operations is being touched by the
disease. Although Africa and Asia have been the hardest hit, every
continent has seen significant consequences due to HIV/AIDS.
Estimates by the World Bank suggest that the macroeconomic impact of
HIV/AIDS may reduce the growth of national income by up to a third
in countries where the prevalence among adults is 10 percent.
Additionally, rates of HIV infection worldwide are highest for the
young and for women, who are major contributors to the workforce |
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HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Guidelines |
The impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace is felt in many
areas, for example the loss of productivity, increased cost of
employee benefits, high production costs and lower workplace morale
due to prolonged staff illness, increased absenteeism and mortality
rates. This, in turn, impacts negatively on the economy of the
country as it slows down economic growth with less economically
active persons able to contribute to the economy. |
274 kb pdf |
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Hospital blunder allowed sick firefighters to keep working |
What is particularly
devastating for the firefighters who have unknowingly lived with
hepatitis-C for the past three years is they don't know how much
damage has been done to their liver in that period of time. Nor do
they know if they have unknowingly passed it on. |
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Human
rights approach to AIDS. |
Southern African
Development Community's Code on HIV/AIDS and Employment |
426 kb pdf |
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ILO- Recording and notification of occupational accidents |
The absence of reliable information about the incidence of
occupational accidents and disease is a major obstacle to curbing
the appalling toll of work-related deaths and injuries that
continues to plague humankind. Despite enormous advances in
technology, preventive medicine and the means to prevent accidents,
the ILO and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that each
year around 1.2 million work-related deaths, 250 million accidents
and 160 million work-related diseases occur worldwide. Death,
illness and injury on such a scale impoverish individuals and their
families, and undermine attempts to improve working conditions |
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Information for Individuals Who May Have Been Exposed to HIV, the
AIDS Virus |
Health care
workers and public service workers may be exposed to the HIV virus
through their work. Even though safer work practices incorporating
barrier precautions and safer needle devices will decrease the risk
of exposure, they will not completely eliminate it…There are other
ways of being exposed to HIV, for example through human bites or
sexual assault. |
71 kb pdf |
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Job-related hepatitis C infections are hard to prove |
Many
people with hepatitis C suffer from a double whammy: They
have a potentially deadly virus, which can simmer
undetected for decades - and that makes it hard for them
to prove how they got it. As a result, veterans,
health-care workers, firefighters and others who think
they got hepatitis C b |
