TRADE NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, April 17, 2002
Contact: Susan Hall Fleming
Phone: (202) 693-1999

WASHINGTON - OSHA today provided safety and health information for international business travelers and listed sources for additional guidelines on helpful strategies to reduce health risks.

"Many employees now travel to countries where they risk contracting infectious diseases that could be prevented through vaccinations and simple precautions while traveling," OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw said. "Our new technical information bulletin will help international travelers take care of their health while they take care of business."

The OSHA bulletin suggests that international business travelers follow recommendations for immunizations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that are available at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. In addition, the new OSHA guide urges business travelers to consult the U.S. Department of State consular information sheet for individual countries they plan to visit. These country guides and other helpful State Department publications are available at http://travel.state.gov.

Some travel tips applicable for all travelers include washing hands frequently, walking and driving defensively and wearing seatbelts, avoiding dairy products that may not be pasteurized and eating only food that has been properly cooked. For example, OSHA recommends that travelers visiting developing areas drink only bottled water or carbonated drinks, avoid going barefoot, refrain from eating food purchased from street vendors and avoid handling animals that may carry infectious diseases-especially monkeys, dogs and cats.

OSHA's new technical information bulletin "Safety and Health During International Travel" [PDF] is available on the agency's website.