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Anthrax |
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Anthrax exposures that result from a criminal or terrorist act are more difficult for unsuspecting employers to prevent and control. Nevertheless, OSHA, the CDC, USPS and FBI have developed recommendations to address the exposures resulting from contaminated mail and packages:
- Recommendation for Handling Suspicious Packages or Letters. OSHA.
- How to Handle Anthrax and Other Biological Agent Threats.
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Health Alert, (2001,
October 12). Advises
exposed workers not to
panic. Disease can be prevented
after exposure to the
anthrax spores by early
treatment with the
appropriate
antibiotics. Anthrax is
not spread from one
person to another
person.
- We Are Taking Every Possible Measure To Assure Safety Of Customers And The Mail.
US Postal
Service (USPS) Message to
Customers, (2001, October
17). Describes
characteristics of
suspicious letters and
packages, and advises
what to do if you
receive a threat by
mail.
-
Protect Your
Workplace: Learn All
About Suspicious
Packages. Federal
Bureau of Investigation
(FBI), (2006, September
20). Describes the
new poster developed
through the joint
efforts of four federal
agencies—the Department
of Homeland Security;
the US Postal Service
and its Postal
Inspection Service; the
Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives; and the FBI.
-
Suspicious Letters or
Packages. 615 KB
PDF, 1 page.
Advises that if you
receive a suspicious
letter or package:
- Stop. Don't handle.
- Isolate it
immediately.
- Don't open, smell or
taste.
- Activate your
emergency action plan.
Notify a supervisor.
-
Distributable Materials.
Download and print the
Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) "Protect
Your Workplace" posters.
The methods for preventing and
controlling anthrax exposure and infection vary by workplace.
Animal Handlers
Employers in animal handling
occupations who may anticipate exposure may find the following useful.
-
Anthrax. US
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS),
(2001, November). Describes disease epidemiology and clinical signs.
Healthcare and Emergency Responders
For health care employers and emergency responders, there is a larger body of response planning information. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), the American Hospital Association (AHA), Department of Defense
(DoD), and OSHA have several resources about how hospitals can plan and prepare for terrorist events:
-
Readiness for Potential Attack Using Chemical or Biological Agents.
American Hospital
Association (AHA), (2001,
October 3). Describes
AHA position on the
readiness issue; lists
chemical and biological
agents that are most
likely to be used in an
attack; and provides a
self-assessment checklist
to help your organization
gauge its readiness to
respond to bioterrorism,
and to assess potential
areas for improvement.
- Hospital
Preparedness for Mass
Casualties. American
Hospital Association
(AHA), Office of
Emergency Preparedness,
Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS),
(2000, August), 195 KB
PDF, 62 pages. Defines mass
casualty incidents as incidents which
overwhelm the resources
of individual hospitals.
Equally important, a
mass casualty incident
is
likely
to impose a sustained
demand for health
services rather than the
short,
intense peak customary
with many smaller scale
disasters
adding a
new dimension and many
new issues to
preparedness planning
for hospitals.
- Hospitals and Community Emergency Response.
OSHA Publication 3152,
(1997). Identifies
elements of a Hospital
Emergency Response Plan,
basic employee training
in emergency response,
selecting PPE,
respirators, and
decontaminating
patients.
Local Emergency Responders
Local emergency responders
also have an
important role in recognizing and responding to terrorist events. The US
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and OSHA provide several resources that address readiness and response by emergency responders:
-
First Responders. US
Department of Homeland
Security (DHS). Links to
training resources,
National Incident
Management System (NIMS)
and tech solutions.
-
National Domestic
Preparedness Office (NDPC).
Federal Emergency
Management
Administration (FEMA). Identifies, develop,
tests, and delivers
training to state and
local emergency
responders. The NDPC
membership includes
Grants & Training's Center for
Domestic Preparedness (CDP)
in Anniston, Alabama,
the New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology
(NMIMT), Louisiana State
University (LSU), Texas
A&M University (TEEX),
and the Department of
Energy's Nevada Test
Site (NTS).
-
Preparation and Planning.
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC). Lists general
resources for personal
preparedness, business
and healthcare
preparedness, state,
local, national and
legal preparedness, and
links to specific types
of emergencies such as:
-
Emergency Preparedness
and Response. OSHA
Safety and Health Topics
Page.
In the event that anthrax is released, controls such as personal protective equipment (e.g., respirators) and decontamination will be needed to limit exposure and prevent secondary infection. You can find additional technical information in the following resources:
-
Interim Recommendations
for the Selection and
Use of Protective
Clothing and Respirators
Against Biological
Agents. Centers for
Disease Prevention and
Control (CDC), (2001,
October 25). Recommends
that an approach to any
potentially hazardous
atmosphere including
biological hazards be
made with a plan that
includes assessment of
hazard and exposure
potential, respiratory
protection needs, entry
conditions, exit routes,
and decontamination
strategies.
-
Biosafety in
Microbiological and
Biomedical Labs (BMLB)
4th Edition. Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), (1999,
May).
-
Bioterrorism Alleging
Use of Anthrax, Interim
Guidelines for Managment
-- United States, 1998.
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC). Reports on
incidents alleging use
of anthrax in 1998.
-
Guidelines for the Surveillance and Control of Anthrax in Humans and Animals.
World Health
Organization (WHO).
-
State and Local Approaches, Mass Casualty Decontamination: Massachusetts’ Rapid Response System.
US Department of Justice
(DOJ), 35 KB
PDF, 4 pages. Reports on the
enhancement of
Massachusetts Hazardous
Materials (HazMat)
Response Teams with
local fire department
decontamination
capabilities, fire
district decontamination
companies, and hospital
decontamination
companies to provide the
entire State (rural and
urban areas) with access
to fully equipped HazMat
teams and mass
decontamination
capabilities.
-
YNHH Infection Control
Manual. Yale-New Haven Hospital
(YNHH), (2001).
Recommends a system of
isolating patients with
transmissible disease as
the cornerstone of a
hospital's program of
infection prevention and
control, focusing on the
use
of protective barrier
equipment, such as
gloves, gowns, masks,
and protective eyewear
in order to interrupt
transmission and to
break the chain of
infection.
-
Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook. US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
(USAMRIID),
(2005, April). Also available
as a 2 MB
PDF, 187 pages.
-
Guide for the Selection
of Personal Protection
Equipment for Emergency
First Responders.
National Institute of
Justice (NIJ) Guide
102-00, (2002,
November). Provides four
PDF volumes of
information on personal
protection equipment (PPE)
for consideration by
emergency first
responders when
purchasing and using PPE,
including duration of
protection,
dexterity/mobility,
launder ability, and
use/reuse.
-
Publications and
Reference Materials.
US
Department of Justice,
Office of Justice
Programs, (2007,
November 16.)
Lists course catalogs,
bulletins, fact sheets,
references, presidential
decision directives and
grants.
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