(A-1) Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment: Respirators and Gloves: (3) What precautions should healthcare workers (HCWs) take when treating patients who may be infected and/or contaminated with anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)? Healthcare workers should use Universal Precautions for all patient care activities. "Universal Precautions" are standard approaches to infection control designed to reduce the risk of transmitting microorganisms from both known and unknown sources of infection. Universal Precautions can include, but are not limited to, appropriate use of gloves, masks, protective clothing, work practices, and housekeeping.?Clinical anthrax illness occurs days or weeks after exposure to the anthrax spores and person-to-person spread of this disease has not been documented. Therefore, after the onset of clinical illness, no precautions specific to anthrax have been recommended.?However, if healthcare workers are providing initial care to a patient with suspected recent exposure to anthrax, they should take precautions against the potential for reaerosolizing any anthrax spores remaining on the exposed individual or clothing. Further direction for appropriate personal protective equipment is available on OSHA's?Anthrax in the Workplace?Risk Reduction Matrix.(4) How should contaminated PPE used to handle mail (e.g. gloves) be disposed of? Can it go in regular trash? Unless the PPE has been used to handle a suspicious piece of mail, gloves and other personal protective clothing and equipment can be discarded in regular trash once removed. If a worker recognizes and handles a suspicious piece of mail, the worker's protective gear should be treated as potentially contaminated; it should be placed in an appropriately labeled and/or color-coded container that is closable and leak-proof. This container should then be disposed of as infectious/regulated waste.?(5) What are the health and safety precautions for laboratory workers handling anthrax samples? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published advice for laboratory personnel. [Update: Investigation of Anthrax Associated with Intentional Exposure and Interim Public Health Guidelines, October 2001. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality (MMWR) 50(41);889-893, (2001, October 19)]. Lab personnel are advised to:?(5.1) Use Biological Safety Level 2 facilities and practices (BSL-2 laboratories are suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazards) or Biological Safety Level 3 facilities and practices (BSL-3 laboratories are suitable for work involving indigenous or exotic agents that have a potential for respiratory transmission and may cause serious or potentially lethal disease) when working with clinical samples considered potentially infectious; (5.2) Wear protective eyewear (e.g., safety glasses or eye shields) and handle all specimens in a BSL-2 laminar flow hood, use closed-front laboratory coats with cuffed sleeves, and stretch gloves over the cuffed sleeves; (5.3) Avoid any activity that places them at risk for infectious exposure, especially activities that might create aerosols or disperse droplets; (5.4) Decontaminate laboratory benches after each use and dispose of supplies and equipment in proper receptacles;?(5.5) Avoid touching mucosal surfaces with hands (gloved or ungloved), and never eat or drink in the laboratory; and?(5.6) Remove and reverse gloves before leaving the laboratory, dispose of them in a biohazard container, remove laboratory coat, and wash hands. For additional information, see?Protocols: Interim Recommended Notification Procedures for Local and State Public Health Department Leaders in the Event of a Bioterrorist Incident. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (6) What respirators are recommended for protection against smallpox? Unlike anthrax, which is acquired only from direct exposure to anthrax spores, smallpox is a highly contagious disease, often spread from person to person. No general workplace guidance exists regarding respiratory protection for smallpox.?For laboratory work, current recommendations require BSL-4 facilities and practices (laboratories suitable for work with dangerous and exotic agents posing high individual risk of laboratory infections and life-threatening disease) for laboratory personnel. Other recommendations are not available, however the?CDC offers additional information regarding the?smallpox vaccination. See more from topic source: https://www.osha.gov/html/a-z-index.html