Federal agency seeks insights from UAW health care workers

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) invites healthcare personnel to participate voluntarily in an online survey about  health and safety practices in working with hazardous chemicals on the job.

The voluntary survey, which is open until March 26, can be accessed at www.niosh-healthcare-survey.org 
You will be asked for an organization key which is: HCWS. Individual responses will be kept confidential, and no personal identifiers will be recorded. The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete.

UAW members in the health care industry are encouraged to take this survey to help NIOSH better understand the extent to which healthcare personnel may be exposed to dangerous chemical agents.

These chemicals include antineoplastic agents, anesthetic gases, surgical smoke, high level disinfectants, chemical sterilants, and aerosolized medications, and the circumstances of potential exposures. Results will also help NIOSH to better learn and understand current practices for reducing potential exposures, to identify gaps in current knowledge about those practices, and to design further researchto address current gaps in knowledge.

 Safeguarding healthcare workers from potential occupational hazards is an essential part of providing good jobs for these dedicated men and women, and for furthering high-quality patient care, NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard said in a news release.

The results will help NIOSH and its partners design next steps in the research essential for addressing the workplace health and safety needs of this important and growing U.S. workforce.