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PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE GUIDANCE FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS & HEALTHCARE EMPLOYERS May 21, 2007, press conference call: Introductory remarks for Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. to introduce the new OSHA guidance document Good morning. Thank-you for calling in for this important announcement from OSHA. In response to President Bush issuing the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza in 2005, and the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy in 2006, OSHA has been collaborating with numerous federal agencies in a government-wide effort to develop and promote the most accurate guidance on Pandemic Influenza available. As part of this collaborative effort, the Department of Labor is responsible for promoting the health, safety and welfare of America's working men and women; and within the Department of Labor, OSHA is responsible for developing guidance to help employers and employees plan and take steps now, to prepare for an influenza pandemic. In February 2007, OSHA and the Department of Labor, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, published the document, "Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic." This guidance was designed to help American employers and employees across a broad spectrum of industries and services understand what they should do to prepare their workplaces for a pandemic. Today, OSHA is announcing a new document - "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers." The delivery of healthcare services requires a broad range of employees: healthcare workers such as ambulance personnel and other first responders; nurses, physicians, pharmacists, medical technicians and aides will be critical to the nation; other employees in healthcare settings will be important as well, including building maintenance, security and administrative personnel, social workers, laboratory employees, and food service, housekeeping, and mortuary personnel. These employees can be found in a variety of workplaces, including hospitals, chronic care facilities, medical and dental offices, clinics, surgical facilities, and emergency response settings. Pandemic influenza is usually a respiratory disease caused by a virus to which humans have little or no immunity. It can pass readily from human to human, with the potential to cause serious illness or death. The scientific community has stated that no influenza pandemic exists at this time; however, most scientists studying global health risks agree that it is not a question of if, but of when the next pandemic will occur. The last pandemic occurred almost 40 years ago in 1968, but scientists believe that certain avian influenza viruses currently moving through bird populations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa have great potential to mutate into a strain capable of passing readily from human to human. If this genetic change occurs, it could trigger a pandemic that would have a profound impact on our society. While no one knows if or when a pandemic will occur, it is essential that Americans prepare now to minimize exposure, reduce transmission, and implement plans to ensure that essential public services will continue. The pandemic influenza guidance document that we are releasing today addresses precautions and practices that could help protect health care employees who would be on the front lines of a health crisis. It is only by protecting the skilled and dedicated employees working in healthcare that we may weather a pandemic. This is why, while no health emergency currently exists, OSHA has been collaborating and coordinating on all its efforts with other agencies to help our nation prepare. Several offices and agencies, such as HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have reviewed this guidance document, to make sure it is the most useful document possible for the healthcare community. OSHA's newest pandemic influenza preparedness and response guide can be viewed now on our website at www.OSHA.gov, and at www.pandemicflu.gov, the federal government's website for the most reliable and up-to-date information about pandemic flu preparedness. On both websites, you will also find OSHA's general guide to preparing workplaces for an influenza pandemic. In the event of a pandemic, employers will play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety, and this is especially critical with healthcare employees. Proper planning and preparation now will enable employers to better protect their employees and lessen the impact of a pandemic. We recognize that a severe pandemic in our country could have a devastating effect on our nation's workforce and society. OSHA's guidance documents, in conjunction with the Interim Pre-Pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States, released in February 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will help to limit the spread of a pandemic, prevent illness and death, lessen the impact on the economy, and keep our society functioning. At OSHA we developed our guidance documents on pandemic influenza based upon traditional infection control and industrial hygiene practices. If an actual pandemic unfolds, the behavior of the specific pandemic influenza strain and other factors may make it necessary to alter our current documents or issue additional guidance - and OSHA is prepared to do so. In addition to OSHA's rigorous outreach efforts, the work of journalists reporting today's announcement will play a pivotal role in communicating this information to the healthcare community. Educating them about steps they can take to protect themselves will have a significant, life-saving impact on our healthcare workers, as well as the general public, should the pandemic threat become a reality. Finally, I want to remind employers and employees in all industries and services that OSHA is your most reliable resource for workplace safety and health information. I urge you to visit our website at www.OSHA.gov for all the latest information on workplace safety and health, and go to www.pandemicflu.gov for all U.S. government information on pandemic preparedness. Now I want to turn over our discussion of pandemic flu preparedness for healthcare workers and healthcare employers to OSHA's______________ [TITLE & NAME] who will review the key issues in our new guidance document. |
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