Reports on HIV/AIDS: 1990

JUNE 22, 1990, MMWR, Vol. 39, No. 24, p. 417
NIOSH Guidelines for Protecting the Safety and Health
of Health-Care Workers
Compared with the total civilian population, health-care workers file a greater
number of workers' compensation claims for sprains and strains, infections, parasitic
diseases, dermatitis, viral hepatitis, mental disorders, eye diseases, influenza, and
toxic hepatitis. To help reduce the incidence of injury and disease among health-care
workers, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has
published Guidelines for Protecting the Safety and Health of Health Care Workers
(0 ).*
This comprehensive publication addresses all major health and safety hazards that
workers encounter in hospitals and other health-care facilities. It includes an overview
of hospital hazards; methods for developing hospital safety and health programs;
methods for disposing of hazardous wastes; a list of occupational safety and health
agencies and resource organizations; and discussions of safety hazards, infectious
diseases, and noninfectious health hazards.
The guidelines presented in this document incorporate the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration regulations and the most recent CDC-recommended
NIOSH standards and guidelines, including those for protecting health-care workers
from occupational transmission of hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus,
and other bloodborne pathogens. The document also contains specific information
from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Reported by: Div of Standards Development and Technology Transfer, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.
Reference
1. NIOSH. Guidelines for protecting the safety and health of health care workers. Cincinnati,
Ohio: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1988; DHHS
publication no. (NIOSH)88-119.
*Single copies are available without charge from the Publications Dissemination Section,
DSDTT, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226; telephone [phone].

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