May 2, 2003—OSHA has developed a new page on its Web site for “Information Regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)” to provide relevant and timely information regarding this illness to employers, employees, and other interested parties.
While the information references enforceable OSHA standards, the information itself is not a new standard or regulation, and it creates no new or independent legal obligations. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards. In addition, pursuant to Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHAct (the “General Duty Clause”), employers must provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Employers can be cited for violating the General Duty Clause if they do not take reasonable steps to abate or address such a recognized hazard. However, the failure to implement the information is not, in itself, a violation of the General Duty Clause. OSHA citations can only be based on standards, regulations, and the General Duty Clause.
The contents listed on the site include:
- Background on SARS
- Information for OSHA Staff for Public Inquiries
- Information on Precautions in Healthcare Facilities
- Information for Laboratory Workers
- Information for Airline Flight Crew and Airport Personnel
- Information for Crew Cleaning Planes that Carried Suspected SARS Cases
- Information for Workers Involved in Air Medical Transport of SARS Patients
- Safety & Health During Handling of Human Remains of SARS Patients
- Employee Training
- If a Worker Experiences Symptoms
- Updated Information from CDC
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an emerging, sometimes fatal, respiratory illness. The first identified cases occurred in China in late 2002, and the disease has now spread throughout the world. Although SARS is believed to be caused by a virus, the specific agent has not been identified, and there is not yet any laboratory or other test that can definitively identify cases. Suspected SARS cases in the United States have involved individuals returning from travel to Asia and health care workers and other contacts of those patients. SARS does not appear to be caused by casual contact; transmission appears to be primarily through close contact with a symptomatic patient.
