Thread by @acumoxaherbs

I watched all of the #OSHAhearing about protecting healthcare workers: some people brought the science, argued for protections, and some didn’t. It was absurd to hear lobbyist testimony mangle the facts and use outdated info to argue for less protections. news.bloomberglaw.com/safety/worker-…

The good…

The, um, not good…

More good testimony from the #OSHAhearing … too bad it’s not what’s happening given the political and business realities of the above article. @brosseau_lisa @CIDRAP @jbarab

More good testimony that won’t be heeded:

@OSHA_DOL should not fall back on weak @CDCgov guidance. I was amazed to hear again and again that ‘CDC says’ is sufficient. 🧵⬇️

Bottom line, still true. The status quo falsely assumes patients do not have SARS2 infection, that you can know who does and who doesn’t, and ignores the significant consequences of maintaining a culture and environment that allows unfettered transmission in healthcare settings.

@OSHA_DOL knows SARS2 is not OK to spread around every medical facility/dental office — as if these places were movie theaters. OSHA was told so in the hearing. Yet healthcare settings are fundamentally unsafe, where the risk of seeking care can outweigh the benefit of that care.

The blood-borne pathogen standard assumes every patient is positive for HIV/Hep C/etc & builds protocols of infection control around that. What is going on in medical & dental settings now assumes everyone doesn’t have COVID — so protocols built around that are unsafe. @maolesen

Safety is a basic thing, and @OSHA_DOL had access to the best expert testimony at the #OSHAhearing. There was a lot of misguided, inaccurate, and harmful testimony. OSHA should truly protect healthcare workers, and in doing so protect patients, staff, & everyone in the buildings.

It is unfortunate that the loudest voices setting the bar for what is ‘safe’ have set a minimum bar that misses the mark of what is acceptable. To set in stone protocols that are based on lies, dissimulations, and outdated science is a true tragedy. Or will be so for many people.

Now, can @OSHA_DOL consider the latest science and start to protect people? This study came out after the #OSHAhearing, but many scientists testified to the need for healthcare settings to upgrade from surgical/procedure masks, focus on air hygiene, abandon droplet precautions…

‘CDC says’ is a powerful thing. We need other magic words. Safety protocols shouldn’t fluctuate based on ‘community levels’… They should be based in reality. Would I look at a patient and say, ‘that one looks healthy, I don’t need to use sterile needles or wash my hands today?’

The why. Nosocomial spread of infectious disease is validated by the cowardice of @CDCgov @CDCDirector @OSHA_DOL — and it is consequential. People will suffer: the risk & harm of seeking essential healthcare will outweigh any benefit of that care. It’s pure luck here on out.

Yup

@OSHA_DOL @CDCgov @CAPublicHealth @DrTomasAragon Can “standard precautions” and masking protocols reflect reality? Why do patients, etc., need to bear the burden of make-believe infection control protocols? Seeking essential healthcare shouldn’t mean getting sick there—full stop.

Standard precautions used to make an effort to protect everyone — staff, patients, and providers alike. Patients from each other. Patients from the Dr who dines indoors or goes to concerts. The clinical setting—patient encounters—should be formal, because consequences are real.🧵