Preventing Occupational Exposures to Infectious Disease in Health Care

Amber Hogan Mitchell, DrPH, MPH, CPH, is president and executive director of the International Safety Center. The Center distributes the Exposure Prevention Information Network (or "EPINet") free to hospitals to measure occupational exposures to blood and body fluid and other potentially infectious materials that cause illness and infection in the working population. EPINet is the world's most widely used surveillance tool for this type of data. Dr. Mitchell's career has been focused on public health and occupational safety and health related to infectious disease. She has worked in the public, private, and academic sectors. Dr. Mitchell began her career as the very first OSHA National Bloodborne Pathogens Coordinator as a Senior Industrial Hygienist and has received several Secretary of Labor Excellence awards for her work on healthcare worker safety as well as bioterrorism and public preparedness. She sat on a team of dedicated professionals that integrated the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act into the regulatory landscape. Dr. Mitchell has held regulatory and medical affairs positions for medical device companies. As a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) doctoral scholar, she completed her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from Binghamton University and a Master's in Public Health from The George Washington University. Dr. Mitchell is Certified in Public Health as an esteemed member of the very first CPH cohort offered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. She was the 2019 Chair of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Dr. Mitchell continues to serve the country as a senior science advisor for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for Worker Training Program for COVID-19. She is also Adjunct Faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Introduction.- Public Health Significance.- Controlling and Preventing Occupational Illness and Infection.- Microbiology Basics.- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulatory Compliance.- Other Regulatory Requirements, National Standards, and Accreditation.- Performing a Hazard Assessment and Building an Exposure Control Plan.- Institutional and Administrative Controls.- Engineering Controls and Safer Medical Devices.- Personal Protective Equipment Placement and Use.- Facing a Modern Pandemic.- Making It All Work.- Appendices.