Terrorism
Potential Hazard
Emergency department staff and other hospital workers and patients can be exposed to biological agents, chemical agents, and mass causalities as a result of terrorist attacks or events.
Possible Solutions
Provide and plan for emergency response for health care employers and emergency responders.
Emergency Response Plan
OSHA's HAZWOPER standard requires hospitals to plan for emergencies if they expect to assign their employees to respond to emergencies related to acts of terrorism involving hazardous substances. A hospital designated by a hazardous waste site as a decontamination facility must have an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) which addresses, among other things, decontamination, personal protective equipment, and the roles and functions of trained personnel.
OSHA also recommends the development of an ERP for any other hospitals that may receive and treat victims whose treatment may present decontamination issues, even if they have not been designated as decontamination facilities.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-5. To respond to potential acts of terrorism directed at an emergency department, what primary strategy should be adopted?
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