Dr. Water Consulting, LLC, Morrison, CO, USA.
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Water Environ Res. 2020 Apr;92(4):524-533. doi: 10.1002/wer.1249. Epub 2019 Oct 22.
The 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic revived concerns about infection risks to wastewater workers. Prior research has shown that wastewater can contain a variety of known and emerging pathogens and that wastewater workers are at increased risk of infectious illnesses. However, guidelines on using personal protective equipment (PPE) to decrease these risks are lacking. We engaged 34 wastewater utility personnel and public health experts to conduct a job safety analysis identifying tasks in which workers could be exposed to pathogens and to develop a PPE selection matrix for preventing those exposures. We identified 43 relevant job tasks. Recommended PPE ranges from durable gloves (all tasks) to safety glasses (24 tasks), Tyvek suits or coveralls (4 tasks), and respiratory protection (N95 mask or face mask, depending on the activity, 10 tasks). The PPE selection matrix can serve as a guide for protecting the 120,000 wastewater workers in the United States from known and emerging pathogens. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Wastewater workers are at increased risk of infectious illnesses. Policies to protect wastewater workers from these illnesses are lacking. We developed guidelines for use of personal protective equipment by wastewater workers to prevent exposure to infectious agents.
2013-2016 年埃博拉疫情再次引发了人们对废水处理工人感染风险的关注。先前的研究表明，废水中可能含有各种已知和新兴的病原体，而废水处理工人感染传染病的风险增加。然而，关于使用个人防护设备（PPE）降低这些风险的指南却缺乏。我们邀请了 34 名废水处理设施人员和公共卫生专家进行了一次工作安全分析，以确定工人可能接触病原体的任务，并制定了一个 PPE 选择矩阵，以防止这些暴露。我们确定了 43 项相关工作任务。推荐的 PPE 范围从耐用手套（所有任务）到安全眼镜（24 项任务）、Tyvek 套装或工作服（4 项任务）以及呼吸保护（根据活动的不同，N95 口罩或面罩，10 项任务）。PPE 选择矩阵可以作为保护美国 12 万名废水处理工人免受已知和新兴病原体侵害的指南。
