Tuberculosis and Other Airborne Microbes in Occupational Health and Safety

Esther Vaquero-Álvarez, Antonio Cubero-Atienza, Pilar Ruiz-Martínez, Manuel Vaquero-Abellán, María Dolores Redel-Macías and Pilar Aparicio-Martínez
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Esther Vaquero-Álvarez: SRH Kliniken Landkreis Sigmaringen, Hohenzollernstraße 40, 72488 Sigmaringen, Germany
Antonio Cubero-Atienza: Departamento Ingeniería Rural, Ed Leonardo da Vinci, Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Pilar Ruiz-Martínez: GC24 Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, Instituto Maimónides, Facultad Medicina y Enfermería, Campus de Menéndez Pidal, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Manuel Vaquero-Abellán: GC12 Clinical and Epidemiological Research in Primary Care, Instituto Maimónides, Campus de Menéndez Pidal, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
María Dolores Redel-Macías: Departamento Ingeniería Rural, Ed Leonardo da Vinci, Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Pilar Aparicio-Martínez: GC12 Clinical and Epidemiological Research in Primary Care, Instituto Maimónides, Campus de Menéndez Pidal, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Airborne pathogens and non-malignant infectious diseases such as tuberculosis are highly contagious and can have severe effects on healthcare workers. The symptoms of these diseases take time to manifest, which can prevent workers from noticing that they have been exposed until symptoms appear. The current paper sought to assess the occupational safety and preventative measures taken in laboratories in Spain, and to compare these measures with those reported by other studies worldwide. A cross-sectional study of workers (35–50 years old) was conducted using a web survey ( N = 30), and a bibliometric analysis was carried out in the Scopus database (92 documents were selected). The occupational safety and health measures were inadequate, according to the opinions of the workers. The training ( p < 0.01), the amount of work ( p < 0.05), and how the workers followed their protocols ( p < 0.001) were linked to incidents and exposure to airborne pathogens. The most significant previous publication was a report (848 citations) stating that the previous variables linked to exposure are vital for prevention. Most works focused on countries like the U.S.A. ( p = 0.009) were reviews, with a limited number of studies focused on occupational safety.

Keywords: tuberculosis; laboratories; work environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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