[MCOH-EH] staff working from home

[Ellen J. Hathaway]

We have a few employees working in other states (doing coding or other data work).  If you have staff who work in distant locations and will not have any patient contact, do you still require them to have the normal measles, mumps, rubella and varicella immunity and 2-step TB testing?

We have sent these staff members to local occ health clinics for the physical, labs and 1st TST, but have had significant difficulty getting them to return for the 2nd TB test and wondering if is necessary.  Is anyone aware of a specific reference to this situation in OSHA or other regs?  I’ve not found one so thinking the same rule applies.

Per the 2005 MMWR, “HCWs Who Should Be Included in a TB Surveillance Program HCWs refer to all paid and unpaid persons working in health-care settings who have the potential for exposure to M.  tuberculosis through air space shared with persons with infectious TB disease. Part time, temporary, contract, and full-time HCWs should be included in TB screening programs. All HCWs who have duties that involve face-to-face contact with patients with suspected or confirmed TB disease (including transport staff) should be included in a TB screening program”

Could you let me know what you do at your institutions if you have work-at-home employees?
Thank you

Ellen J Hathaway
Employee Health Services, MMC
662-3143
F – 662-6392
hathae at mmc.org


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