The Importance of Standards

This session asks whether national enforceable occupational standards matter, and if so, why the United States has no occupational safety standards for airborne pathogens.  
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The World Health Organization has issued guidance with a list of 13 health worker rights relevant to the COVD-19 pandemics, 8 of which refer to either the right to obtain training in infection control, or the right to appropriate protective gear.  Panelists discuss why issuing a national safety standard is so important to ensuring those rights in the current situation. They also explore why employers and the Trump administration have opposed issuing an emergency standard. READ SUMMARY

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relevant resources

• CDC Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
• COVID-19 Webinar Series Session 4 – Health System Capacity: Protecting Frontline Health Workers
• How Many Health Care Workers are at Risk of Being Sacrificed to COVID-19 in the U.S.?
• Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19 Response
• To Protect the Public, Lawmakers Must help Keep  Healthcare Workers Safe
• ​Washington ER Physician Removed From Post After Criticizing Hospital's Coronavirus Response
• What Trump Could Do Right Now to Keep Workers Safe From the Coronavirus
• WHO Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities of Health Workers