Thread by @ProfEmer

My latest editorial: “A better approach to mitigate the risk of airborne infections in workplaces“

TL;DR A ‘let them rip’ attitude towards the mitigation of the risk of common airborne infections in the workplace is unacceptabledoi.org/10.1093/occmed…

The article discusses reasons to eschew attitudes of ‘living with the virus’ or of reversion to ‘business as usual’ when facing common airborne infections at work such as coronaviruses, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Schools, catering establishments and hospitals need to tackle the risk of airborne infection with the same commitment with which they currently address infestations, food hygiene and wound infection, respectively.

If a workplace were to be truly ‘health promoting’, then it would have to exceed mere compliance with the law and would have to rise to the chal­lenge of having less exposure to airborne pathogens within the workplace than the average in the community outside

A national strategic approach would require widespread and systematic consultation involving a range of stakeholders such as regulators, notably the HSE, researchers, practitioners, workers’ representatives and employers.

The main emphasis would have to be on pathway control to reduce exposure to airborne pathogens through building design and engineering means notably venti­lation ‘as a primary tool for controlling transmission of respira­tory pathogens’
ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.12…

The development and application of a national strategy to in­dividual workplaces would rely heavily on a range of disciplines from microbiology to engineering.
Special considerations also apply to protect individuals who are more susceptible, according to Equality law