Emerging biological threats to workers highlighted

[Guest guest]

Emerging biological threats to workers highlighted

Norwich Union Risk Services - Birmingham,England,UK*

http://www.nurs.co.uk/news/articles/cms/1196268624212694732996_1.htm

The top emerging biological risks likely to affect workers across

Britain and Europe have been identified in a new report.

The report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is

part of a series of 'Risk Observatory' studies aiming to prepare

employers and governments across the EU for possible occupational

health and safety threats of future.

It highlighted new pathogens, drug-resistant organisms, endotoxins

and indoor mould as the major emerging biological risks.

The report said despite medical advances, new pathogens such as

severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or avian influenza, and the

re-emergence of outbreak-prone diseases such as cholera and yellow

fever, were a concern. This was particularly true given the speed

and volume of international traffic and trade, which could lead to a

new pandemic.

As well as the obvious risk to agricultural workers, the report said

employees involved in global trade, air crews, humanitarian aid and

healthcare were all likely to fall within a " high-risk group " .

On drug-resistant organisms, the report said anti-microbial agents

had substantially reduced the threat of infectious diseases during

the last century, but that this had now been " jeopardised " through

the overuse or misuse of antibiotics. A rethink on basic hygiene in

all workplaces, as well as the use of antibiotics in the livestock

industry, was needed.

Threat 'underestimated'

Endotoxins were found in high concentrations in occupational

settings where organic dust was present. However, the report claimed

that what had been considered a problem in only a few specialist

industries had been found to affect a broad range of employees,

including indoor workers.

Research in recent years had revealed major clinical effects of

endotoxins, ranging from fever, infectious diseases, acute toxic

effects, allergies, organic dust toxic syndrome (ODTS), chronic

bronchitis, and asthma-like syndromes, to lethal effects such as

septic shock, organ failure and death.

Indoor moulds and their subsequent health issues had only received

attention relatively recently. The Agency said to date, more than

100,000 species of mould have been identified, but that it was

estimated there may be more than 1.5 million worldwide.

" As airborne moulds are ubiquitous in the indoor environment,

workers in any indoor workplace, such as offices, schools,

hospitals, homes and commercial buildings, may be exposed, " said the

report.

Jukka Takala, director of the European Agency for Safety and Health

at Work commented: " Biological risks often remain underestimated

although they may be very harmful for EU workers in literally any

sector.

" The challenge is to identify them quickly as they appear and

analyse the consequences they might have on people's health and to

work out policies and procedures to minimise their spread. "

The report can be downloaded from the Agency's website - see link

above/right.