Workshop: Managing Health Risks to Wastewater Workers from Ebola and Other Emerging Pathogens: Science and Solutions

1619958 MacDonald Gibson 2014年埃博拉疫情凸显了评估可能接触含病原体污水的下水道维修人员和污水处理厂运营商感染疾病风险的迫切需要。先前的研究表明，生活污水含有广泛的病原体，从诺如病毒到甲型肝炎。与普通人群相比，废水处理工人患传染病的风险更高。这个拟议的研讨会将邀请科学家、废水公用事业运营商和管理人员以及政府监管机构评估现有证据，以决定如何保护废水和下水道工人免受职业性病原体暴露。下水道和废水工人感染传染病的风险增加是众所周知的，但几乎没有科学证据表明替代措施对降低这些风险的有效性。为了制定基于证据的解决方案，有关可能导致传染病暴露的工作任务、每项任务的潜在废水暴露量、这一劳动力队伍中目前的职业安全做法以及减少风险的替代安全做法的潜力的信息至关重要。本次研讨会将有助于满足这些关键的信息需求。研讨会将产生四个产品：1。研讨会报告，描述废水和下水道工人可能接触病原体的潜在任务，每项任务的估计接触量，保护这些工人免受病原体侵害的现行做法，现行做法与建议做法之间的差距，以及填补知识空白所需的研究; 2.贝叶斯信念网络风险模型预测传染病风险的替代风险管理方案和诊断的可能性，传染病在废水或下水道工人引起的职业暴露; 3。同行评审期刊文章，评估废水和下水道工人的传染病风险程度，描述这些工人目前的传染病预防做法，分析当前和最佳做法之间的差距，并概述提高保护这一人群的能力所需的研究; 4工作任务海报，说明每个废水和下水道工作任务的推荐个人防护设备，以防止接触病原体。该项目将加强现有证据，以保护美国约136，000名废水和下水道工人的健康。反过来，由于废水处理厂是传染病传播的主要障碍之一，保护废水和下水道工作人员的健康将有助于确保美国社区的公共卫生。

1619958MacDonald GibsonThe 2014 Ebola epidemic highlighted a critical need to evaluate infectious disease risks to sewer repair crews and wastewater treatment plant operators who could come into contact with pathogen-containing sewage. Prior research indicates that domestic wastewater contains a wide range of pathogens, from noroviruses to hepatitis A. Wastewater workers are at increased risk of infectious illnesses compared to the general population. This proposed workshop would engage scientists, wastewater utility operators and managers, and government regulators in assessing available evidence to decide how to protect wastewater and sewer workers from occupational exposure to pathogens.Increased risk of infectious illnesses among sewer and wastewater workers is well established, but little scientific evidence exists on the effectiveness of alternative measures for reducing these risks. In order to develop evidence-based solutions, information on job tasks that may lead to infectious disease exposure, potential wastewater exposure volumes for each task, current occupational safety practices among this workforce, and the potential for alternative safety practices to reduce risks, is essential. This workshop will help fill these critical information needs. The workshop will lead to four products: 1. Workshop report describing potential tasks during which wastewater and sewer workers could be exposed to pathogens, estimated exposure volumes for each task, current practices for protecting these workers from pathogens, gaps between current practices and recommended practices, and research needed to fill knowledge gaps; 2. Bayesian belief network risk model for predicting infectious disease risks under alternative risk management scenarios and for diagnosing the likelihood that an infectious illness in a wastewater or sewer worker arose from occupational exposure; 3. Peer-reviewed journal article assessing the magnitude of infectious disease risks to wastewater and sewer workers, describing current infectious disease prevention practices among these workers, analyzing the gaps between current and best practices, and outlining research needed to improve the ability to protect this population; 4 Poster of job tasks illustrating recommended personal protective equipment for each wastewater and sewer job task in order to prevent exposure to pathogens. This project will strengthen the evidence available for protecting the health of the approximately 136,000 wastewater and sewer workers in the United States. In turn, because wastewater treatment plants are one of the main barriers to infectious disease transmission, protecting the health of the wastewater and sewer workforce will contribute to ensuring public health in U.S. communities.