Public Health Law Map - Beta 5 - Medical and Public Health Law Site

Many diseases are spread by insects. These are generally not a problem for office
workers but can be a significant risk to persons working with animals, raw animal
products, or in the outdoors. Insectborne diseases that may be workplace problems
include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and encephalitis.
e) Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Outside of a few brothels in Nevada, sexually transmitted diseases are not usually
thought of as workplace hazards. They may, however, create a risk in medical care
or laboratory settings where personnel can come in direct contact with infected
specimens or body fluids. It should be noted, however, that there may be liability if
an employer is on notice of sexual relations between employees and customers and
does not prevent them. This can be a problem in sex-oriented businesses or at
resorts where personnel may supplement their income through prostitution.
f) Bloodborne
Few diseases are strictly bloodborne. Most, like hepatitis B and HIV, are also
transmitted through intimate contact. Bloodborne diseases are a risk only in
workplaces where workers can come into contact with blood or other bodily
fluids—most common in medical care delivery and laboratory work. It is also a
consideration for employees who provide first aid to other employees or customers.
Employers should be careful of hidden blood exposures. Ear piercing in a
department store can effectively spread HBV between customers if the instruments
are reused without sterilization.
g) Direct Contact
Some diseases and parasites are spread by direct contact between individuals or
their personal items such as clothing. These include scabies, lice, and ringworm.
These can be a substantial problem where employees share living quarters or coat
closets. Other than inconvenience, however, infestations seldom pose any serious
health risk.
3. Duration of the Risk
Duration of the risk is the Court’s term for the period the carrier remains infectious.
This period may be self-limited for diseases such as measles, limited by antibiotic
treatment for diseases such as strep throat, or unlimited, such as for HIV and the
carrier states of typhoid and HBV. Employees remain disabled under the law after
the disease is no longer infectious because the law also includes persons who are
perceived to be disabled.
4. Severity
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