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June 2, 2003
Statement by:
Barbara Blakeney, MS, APRN, BC, ANP
President, American Nurses Association
On OSHA’s Withdrawal of the Tuberculosis Rule
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is outraged that the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has decided to withdraw the
tuberculosis (TB) rule. Tuberculosis continues to be a primary threat to
healthcare workers and cannot be irresponsibly underestimated. Registered
nurses represent the largest health care profession and are continuously
in direct contact with patients who may be sources of TB exposure.
Throughout the years of the rulemaking process, ANA has been a strong
supporter of an enforceable OSHA TB standard. Yet, despite years of work
to develop a standard to protect workers from occupational exposure to TB,
OSHA decides to simply abandon the rule without adequate explanation. This
action demonstrates the administration's disregard for American workers’
safety, particularly those in the health care industry, who are at
increased risk of exposure to a growing number of infectious agents,
including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The absence of an enforceable regulation leaves open the possibility of
decreased vigilance, which in the past has led to an increase in cases. An
enforceable OSHA standard protects both healthcare workers and their
patients by ensuring that workers are provided the necessary protective
measures. This current action is irresponsible and flies in the face of
sound public health policy.
ANA continues to advocate for safer work environments for nurses. It is
only through concerted efforts to improve working conditions and reduce
the hazards that nurses face on the job that true progress will be made in
stemming the growing shortage of nurses. OSHA’s action undermines efforts
to recruit people into the profession and retain practicing nurses. We
urge the administration to reconsider this action, which sets the stage
for a public health crisis at a time when our public health system is
already overburdened.
The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional
organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses
through its constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the
nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice,
promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and
realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory
agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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