OSHA Seeks to Curb TB at Work Sites

The Labor Department proposed regulations designed to reduce tuberculosis cases among employees in such high-risk work sites as hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters. Respirators and routine medical testing for the highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease are among requirements the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is recommending for 5 million workers at 100,000 sites. OSHA lacks specific rules governing TB but uses its “general duty clause” to deal with outbreaks. OSHA estimates that its regulations would cost $245 million annually while preventing 21,000 to 25,000 infections a year. Public hearings on the proposed standards will be held throughout the U.S. before OSHA puts them into effect.