In our June 2003 issue of EHS Headlines, we discussed the proper use of respiratory protection relating to the SARS situation, as well as some of the commonly encountered problems which may impact proper fit. With new developments in the understanding of how SARS may have spread in the health care environment, both Health Canada and the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S. are reaffirming their recommendation that health care workers wear proper respiratory protection when working with patients where SARS is of concern. This is of great importance as we move into the winter season, when, some predict, SARS will re-emerge.

Recent publications from the US state that, the SARS epidemic in Toronto demonstrated the potential for the corona virus to be transmitted between an infected patient and those health care workers in close contact. It is believed that proper respiratory protection would have helped stay the spread of the illness given the size characteristics of the transmitting droplets. One of the significant factors in the spread of SARS is thought to have been the lack of formal respirator training and fit testing for at-risk health care workers.

With SARS, as with other workplace hazards, proper risk assessment and control procedures are essential. The steps in a comprehensive risk assessment process are as follows:

• at-risk workers must be identified and the nature of their work must be understood;
• proper protective measures must be developed with the intention of exceeding regulatory requirements;
• the protective measures and work procedures to be implemented must be clearly communicated to the at-risk workers; and
• the effectiveness of the precautions and adherence to the procedures must be monitored to ensure appropriate control of the hazard.

The majority of the SARS infections in Toronto occurred in locations where infection-control precautions either had not been implemented or had been implemented but were not followed. This reinforces the vital importance of monitoring to ensure that safe work procedures and other hazard control measures are being properly and completely implemented.

For further information about risk assessment in the workplace, ask your Occupational Health and Safety team or contact us at 1-888-732-4347.

For more information contact: Joanna Szymandera

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