Cal-OSHA Announces New Hospital Safety Measures For Ebola

Cal-OSHA issued new safety guidelines for nurses and other healthcare workers when treating patients infected with the Ebola virus.

While there have been no confirmed cases of the deadly disease in California, the National Nurses United union and the California Nurses Association have worked around the clock to convince lawmakers to create new guidelines for treating Ebola patients. The two organizations even started a petition at http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/page/s/national-nurses-united-urges-you-to-take-action-now?utm_source=nnu&utm_medium=pr-dc&utm_campaign=petition, which is still online and accepting digital signatures.

In response to the growing demand for new healthcare standards, Cal-OSHA released a set of guidelines regarding how to protect healthcare workers from the Ebola virus. It's important to note, however, that these guidelines aren't new but rather a collection of existing standards that OSHA officials has organized specifically for Ebola.

Nurses are often on the front lines in the fight against Ebola, which subsequently places them at risk for infection. Ebola is spread through direct content with an infected patient's bodily fluids. This may include saliva, blood, urine, vomit, or event sweat. Nurses and hospital workers must take a proactive approach towards protecting themselves from the bodily fluids of infected patients, should an infected patient ever arrive in the Sunshine State.

The California branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hopes these new guidelines will protect the state's healthcare workers from exposure to Ebola.

So, what's included in Cal-OSHA's new Ebola guidelines? Among other things, California hospitals must possess full-body protective suits that meet or exceed the standards for blood penetration and viral protection, as well as air-purifying respirators (PAPR) with a hood or cowl to cover the face.

"California hospitals are now required to have full-body protective suits, that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials F1670 standard for blood penetration, F1671 standard for viral penetration, that leave no skin exposed or unprotected, and that are available for all hospital staff providing care for a suspected or confirmed Ebola patient, employees cleaning contaminated areas, and staff assisting other employees with the removal of contaminated protective gear," wrote Cal-OSHA in its Ebola protection standards.

These new standards are currently limited to California; however, efforts are in place to expand them into other states.

Do you think these new OSHA standards will benefit healthcare workers, or is it overkill? Let us know in the comments section below!