by jbs041309 E3 — April 15, 2009—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released four new publications on biological safety issues, and a new guidance document on selecting respirators for employees exposed to contaminants.
Four new fact sheets on biological safety issues, including “Select Agent Diseases” and “Zoonotic Diseases,” were developed by the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) through a recently renewed alliance with OSHA. The documents are available on the ABSA/OSHA Alliance Web page, under “Products and Resources.”
The “Select Agent Diseases” fact sheet is a reference tool for laboratory employees that lists symptoms, transmission methods, and treatments for common bacteria and viruses that have the potential to pose a major threat to public health and safety, such as anthrax and bubonic plague. Commonly encountered diseases found in animals but transmittable to humans are referenced in the “Zoonotic Diseases” fact sheet. It provides laboratory employees with symptoms, incubation periods, and treatments for bacteria such as salmonella.
“Assigned Protection Factors” is a new guidance document that provides employers with vital information for selecting respirators for employees exposed to contaminants in the air. The document focuses on mandatory respirator selection provisions added to the existing Respiratory Protection standard, which was revised in 2006. “Assigned Protection Factors” is available from OSHA’s Guidance Documents Web page.
