Recent events emphasize the need to prepare first responders who might be exposed to infectious diseases such as Ebola. As with many diseases, the transmission of Ebola can be prevented by using appropriate infection control measures. Ebola cannot be spread simply by being near someone who has been infected.
TMLIRP suggests the following resources for understanding risks and prevention:
The US Centers for Disease Control provides the Detailed Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Checklist for Ebola Preparedness and the Ebola Screening Template for EMS. The Checklist document links to other CDC resources.
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ems-checklist-ebola-preparedness.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/evd-screening-criteria.pdf
Information for Healthcare Workers is found at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/index.html.
The CDC’s main page on the response to the 2014 West Africa Ebola Outbreak is found at
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html
The Texas Department of State Health Services is monitoring Ebola in Texas. Currently the DSHS is monitoring the Dallas area. Contact tracing is updated at approximately noon each day and is found at
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/
As with any possible exposure to infectious diseases, it is important to follow proper procedures to prevent transmission.
In addition to the websites listed above, the following have safety and health information.
US Occupational Safety and Health Administration www.osha.gov
OSHA’s information on Ebola https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ebola/
CDC information on bloodborne infectious diseases http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/
If you need resources for training on bloodborne pathogen exposure, please visit the TMLIRP Loss Prevention page at http://www.tmlirp.org/loss-prevention, or call 800-537-6655 or email lossprevention@tmlirp.org.
Your employees’ safety and concerns are important. For any questions about possible employee exposure to an infectious disease, please notify the TMLIRP Workers’ Compensation Department or the Loss Prevention Department at 800-537-6655.
TMLIRP Loss Prevention
TMLIRP Workers’ Compensation
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