Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

OSHA Guidance on Workplace Safety and the Flu Highlighted by the OTI Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District

  • 12/29/17

DUBLIN, CA – The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District in Dublin, CA, the only OSHA-authorized OTI Education Center headquartered in Northern California, is highlighting important information and guidance available from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on reducing the spread of seasonal flu in workplaces.

OSHA’s Season Flu webpage provides information on the basic precautions to be used in all workplaces as well as additional precautions that should be used in healthcare settings to protect workers who are at higher risk for exposure to the flu virus through patient contact.

“OSHA’s seasonal flu overview includes a link to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on protecting individuals from seasonal flu, including updates on the most recent vaccine,” says Cari Elofson, assistant director of the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. “Each year the seasonal flu vaccine is revised to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the current season.”

CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), also known as the "nasal spray" flu vaccine, should not be used during the 2017-2018 flu season. ACIP continues to recommend annual flu vaccination, with either the inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV), for everyone 6 months and older. The IIV and RIV are both available in formulations that protect against either three or four flu viruses.

The potential for pandemic (global) flu should be on the radar of all employers. A mild, moderate or severe pandemic can occur at any time. Since it is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, planning for pandemic influenza by business and industry is essential to minimize a pandemic's impact. Although the pandemic H1N1 flu in 2009 was considered by the CDC to be mild, it created significant challenges for employers and workers and showed that many workplaces were not prepared. For information on pandemic flu planning, see OSHA’s Pandemic Influenza webpage.

The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District urges all employers to take advantage of OSHA’s guidance, information and resources to help reduce the spread of seasonal flu in their workplaces.

About the OSHA Training Institute Education Center
The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District offers high quality Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards-based training for the construction, maritime, and general industry in Dublin, CA, conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as locations throughout California, Nevada, and Hawaii. Programs offered include OSHA safety standards, Outreach Trainer courses, Cal/OSHA standards and customized on-site safety training. For more information, including a complete course schedule, visit the OSHA Training Institute Education Center website.

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.