Archive

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Med. Pr. 2005;56(5)

Protection of hospital workers from risks of occupational exposure to biological agents

Ochrona pracowników szpitali przed ryzykiem związanym z ekspozycją na czynniki biologiczne

Katarzyna Zielińska-Jankiewicz. Anna Kozajda. Irena Szadkowska-Stańczyk Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine Łódź, Poland

Abstract

Background: Health care workers belong to a high risk occupational group in view of their permanent contact with biological agents. It is essential to take all available and effective technical, organizational and medical preventive measures to protect the exposed workers. Methods and Materials: Activities aimed at protecting workers from risks related to exposure to biological agents, according to recommendations laid down in Directive 2000/54/EC, were assessed in a questionnaire survey carried out in 47 hospitals. Results and Conclusions: The following requirements were best satisfied by the hospitals under study: provision of workers exposed to biological agents with collective and personal protective measures; washing and toilet facilities; separate dinning rooms; registration of accidents involving handling of biological agents and including biological agents issues in the program of occupational training of workers. Most flaws and oversights were observed in regard to: biological agents risk assessment; appropriate marking of rooms where biohazard may occur; written procedures for safe handling of biological agents and the implementation of vaccination program against hepatitis B.

Key words

biological agents, occupational exposure, health care workers