Integration of Respiratory Protection into Practice Among Health Care Workers: A Users Guide for Respiratory Protection in North Carolina’s Hospitals

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. North Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center
• Description:
  This manual was developed to assist hospitals in developing and implementing effective respiratory protection programs, with an emphasis on preventing the transmission of aerosol transmissible diseases (ATDs) to health care workers, Health care workers are paid and unpaid persons who provide patient care in a health care setting or any person who provides services that support the delivery of health care such as dietary, housekeeping, engineering, and maintenance personnel. Aerosols are particles or droplets suspended in air. ATDs are diseases transmitted when infectious pathogens, which are suspended or present in particles or droplets, contact the mucous membranes or are inhaled. Hospitals are unique work environments with challenging occupational health and safety issues. Some hospitals have health and safety personnel who are highly qualified to develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures to control workplace exposures. However, in many facilities with more limited resources, the role of the health and safety professional might be taken on as an added responsibility by someone in the nursing, employee health, occupational health, or infection control department. This toolkit is written as a practfcal manual that can be used by anyone charged with the task of setting up and maintaining a respiratory protection program for reducing employee exposure to hazards that may be inhaled. The toolkit also provides educational resources to reinforce health care workers' proper use of respirators. A respirator is a device worn over the nose and mouth to protect the wearer from hazardous materials in the breathing zone. In health care, the term respirator is also used to describe a mechanical ventilator that helps patients who are having difficulty breathing; this document does not address this type of medical equipment. The body and appendices of the toolkit include references, resources, and electronic tools such as templates, sample forms, and educational materials. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Environmental Exposure Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Viral Diseases Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Administration Aerosol Particles Airborne Particulates Disease Control Disease Prevention Disease Transmission Education And Research Centers Environmental Control Equipment Environmental Exposure ERCs Guidelines Health Care Facilities Health Care Personnel Health Protection Health Standards Infection Control Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases Medical Facilities Medical Personnel Nurses Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Programs Occupational Safety And Health Occupational Safety And Health Administration Occupational Safety Programs OSHA Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirators Respiratory Equipment Respiratory Protection Respiratory Protective Equipment Viral Diseases Viral Infections Work Environment Worker Safety Work Practices

  More +
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Final Contract Report
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-257
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050754
• Citation:
  Chapel Hill, NC: North Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center, University of North Carolina, 2013 May; :1-257
• Contact Point Address:
  North Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center (NC OSHERC), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Integration of respiratory protection into practice among health care workers: a users guide for respiratory protection in North Carolina's hospitals
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ec0c69f0f3c5e4f069bc3195688b99dd3c69744cfa1ac36e0c7dda89e808b77e89ffc667505a34d7a4cb3995b53e63f55fb08059517d44cc70d19d571ecb7438
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210977/cdc_210977_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.63 MB ]