OSHA has updated instructions* for conducting inspections and issuing citations related to worker exposures to tuberculosis in healthcare settings.

According to the CDC, nearly one-third of the world's population is infected with TB, which kills almost 1.5 million people per year. In 2013, more than 9,500 TB cases were reported in the United States, and nearly 400 of those cases were among healthcare workers.

OSHA's updated instructions incorporate guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The revised directive does not create any additional enforcement burdens for employers; it simply updates OSHA's inspection procedures with the most currently available public health guidance.

This directive also covers additional workplaces regarded as healthcare settings, such as sites where emergency medical services are provided and laboratories handling clinical specimens that may contain TB.

For more information see the news release or visit OSHA's Tuberculosis Safety and Health Topics page.