NIOSH: 9/5 Is N95 Day

N95 Respirator – Credit CDC PHIL

 

# 6537

 

I am a bit chagrined to admit that – until about 12 hours ago – I didn’t know that the good folks at NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) had declared today, September 5th, as N95 DAY (get it?  9/5 for N95).

 

Anyway . . . moving on.

 

As any good disease geek knows, N95 masks are the preferred personal protective equipment (PPE) to don when dealing with many airborne infectious diseases.

 

But N95s are used in many occupational settings, not just healthcare.

 

Which is why NIOSH is working to help educate employers, workers, hobbyists - and anyone else who might need respiratory protection - on how, and when, to use N95 respirators.

 

To help their cause along, today a few links to some helpful N95 use and selection information, and a video on how to properly don and doff (yes, those are the correct terms) these protective respirators.

 

 

Respirator Trusted-Source Information

Section 1: NIOSH-Approved Respirators – What are they? How can they be identified? Where can I get them?

Provides information explaining the different types of respirators, how to identify approved models, as well as distribution information.

Section 2: Use of NIOSH Respirators

Provides information on how to implement the appropriate use of respirators in the workplace. This section also contains a listing of recently revoked respirator approvals as well as relevant User Notices.

Section 3: Ancillary Respirator Information

Frequently asked Questions and Answers about respirators, the Science behind Respirator Function and Performance, and a listing of all NIOSH-approved and FDA-cleared surgical N95 respirators.

 

 

 

A link to the NIOSH SCIENCE BLOG, which today features:

 

Happy N95 Day!

 

 

In a related story, a report from CIDRAP last night on research that looked at the added burden that breathing through an N95 mask placed on people when working or exercising moderately.

 

Study: Physiologic effects of N-95 respirators are small

The physiologic effects of wearing N-95 respirators are small and shouldn't pose an obstacle for healthy people, according to a study yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

(Continue . . .)

 

And finally, the controversy over the appropriateness of N95 respirators vs. surgical masks as PPEs when protecting against influenza continues. Those interested in the debate may wish to revisit some of these earlier blogs.

 

Study: Aerosolized Influenza And PPEs

Study: Longevity Of Viruses On PPEs

Why Size Matters

IOM: PPEs For HCWs 2010 Update

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NIOSH: Disease Risks For Emergency Responders

 

 

 

# 5164

 

 

In mid November Maryn McKenna and I both ran blogs on infectious disease risks run by emergency responders and medical personnel.

 

Maryn wrote Putting their lives on the line: Meningitis in first responders, while I wrote Firefighters & Paramedics At Greater Risk Of MRSA.

 

It is a much more complicated (and dangerous) world for first responders today than when I was a paramedic.  HIV, XDR-TB, MRSA, and a variety of other blood borne and airborne pathogens all pose serious threats to the health of medical personnel, and their families.

 

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) and the CDC  are currently seeking public comment on notification procedures for EREs (Emergency Response Employees) when they are exposed to potentially serious infectious diseases.

 

Interested parties (Nurses, Doctors, EMTs, Paramedics, LEOs, Firefighters, etc.) have until February 11th, 2011 to submit written comments.

You can find details on how to do so, and background information, at the NIOSH site below (slightly reparagraphed for readability).   

 

NIOSH Docket Number 219

Implementation of Section 2695 of Public Law 111-87

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Pub.L. 111–87) addresses notification procedures for designated officers, medical facilities, and State and community public health officers regarding exposure of emergency response employees (EREs) to potentially life-threatening infectious diseases.

 

The secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) has delegated authority to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, to which EREs may be exposed in responding to emergencies (including a specification of those infectious diseases that are routinely transmitted through airborne or aerosolized means); guidelines describing circumstances in which employees may be exposed to these diseases; and guidelines describing the manner in which medical facilities should make determinations about exposures.

 

CDC is seeking comment on the list of diseases and guidelines contained in this notice.

 

All comments will be posted without change here, including any personal information provided.

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General Notice and Request for Comments:

General notice and request for comments; 75 FR 77642; 12/13/10 [PDF - 54 KB]

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Background Material:

Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L, and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings. http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/Isolation2007.pdf. Accessed September 23, 2010 [PDF - 3,894 KB]

 

Unofficial figures: Procedures for Notification of Possible Exposure to Infectious Diseases under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 [PDF - 1,142 KB]

 

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-87, to be codified at 42 U.S.C. 300ff-131 et seq.) [PDF - 195 KB]

 

Baron P. Generation and Behavior of Airborne Particles (Aerosols). PowerPoint Presentation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Applied Technology. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aerosols/pdfs/Aerosol_101.pdf. Accessed September 23, 2010 [PDF - 347 KB]

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NIOSH On HCW Work Safety

 

 

# 4095

 

 

One of the groups I tend to hear from via email and/or comments are HCW’s (Health Care Workers), since much of this blog is geared in their direction.  My interest in their welfare runs deep because I have friends who work in that sector, and of course, I used to be a HCW myself.

 

With a largely private Health Care Industry here in the United States, government agencies are somewhat limited in what demands they can place on hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices.  

 

Sometimes the best they can do is issue guidelines and make strongly worded recommendations.

 

NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, has released Health Care Worker guidelines while it attempts to gather information on HCWs who have been infected with the H1N1 virus on the job.

 

Although this statement was issued more than a month ago (it was updated again earlier this month), it is a good reminder than Hospitals need to follow the CDC recommendations for infection control, they need to inform HCWs about underlying conditions that might make them more prone to serious illness, and they should have flexible and non-punitive sick leave policies.

 

 

 

 

NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:

Occupational Health Issues Associated with H1N1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu)

Risk of Serious Illness Among Healthcare Personnel Associated With 2009 H1N1 Influenza:  What Is NIOSH Learning?

October 16, 2009

Reports in the news media have associated the deaths of at least four nurses with 2009 H1N1 influenza. Efforts to gain a fuller understanding of the prevalence of serious H1N1 illness and fatalities among nurses, as well as other healthcare personnel, have been limited due to a lack of occupational data in existing healthcare surveillance systems. More efforts are needed in order to fully appreciate the prevalence of severe H1N1 illness among healthcare workers.

 

NIOSH is working with its partners to gather more information about deaths and serious illness among healthcare personnel associated with 2009 H1N1 influenza. These surveillance activities are aimed at better understanding the factors that may heighten the risk of severe work-related 2009 H1N1 infection among healthcare personnel, as well as identifying the factors which affect risk of transmission of 2009 H1N1 influenza to healthcare personnel.

 

Healthcare personnel are at increased risk of occupational exposure to the 2009 H1N1 virus based on their likelihood for encountering patients with 2009 H1N1 illness. In contrast to seasonal influenza virus, 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has caused a greater relative burden of disease in younger people, which includes those in the age range of most healthcare personnel. For some healthcare personnel, this higher risk of exposure and illness may be compounded by the presence of underlying illness which places them at higher risk of serious flu complications, such as asthma, diabetes, or neuromuscular disease. Of particular concern to the healthcare workforce, which is largely female, is the fact that pregnant women are among those groups considered to be at higher risk of severe infection from 2009 H1N1.

 

As NIOSH gathers further information about the prevalence of serious illness among healthcare personnel, it recommends the following precautions, based on known risks of exposure for healthcare personnel and known risk factors for complications from influenza:

• Healthcare facilities should follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interim guidance for 2009 H1N1 influenza infection control for healthcare personnel.
• Healthcare personnel should be encouraged to receive both the seasonal influenza vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 vaccine when available.
• Healthcare personnel should be informed about and aware of the types of underlying conditions that may put them at higher risk of complications. In addition to pregnant women, those at higher risk for complications of 2009 H1N1 influenza include the following: those with a variety of chronic medical conditions (examples include asthma, sickle cell disease, and diabetes mellitus); people with immunosuppression caused by medications or disease; those with disorders such as neuromuscular disease that compromise respiratory function or handling of respiratory secretions or increase the risk of aspiration; those younger than 19 years of age who are on chronic aspirin therapy; and those 65 years of age or older.
• Healthcare personnel should be informed about and aware of the symptoms of influenza or influenza-like illness, the emergency warning signs to seek urgent care, including but not limited to difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, and the need to seek care aggressively if they have conditions that put them at higher risk of complications of influenza or if they have any concerns about their symptoms.
• Healthcare employers should have flexible, non-punitive, and well-communicated leave policies. They should allow personnel who have the flu to stay home and away from co-workers.

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