Mitigating Exposure Risks to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Workplace

Staph bacteria are commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. It can sometimes cause infections and is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States. Most of these skin infections are minor. But, with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a strain of staph that is resistant to a commonly prescribed antibiotic known as methicillin and is often resistant to other antibiotics, the infections can be serious and sometimes even fatal.
 
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes MRSA as a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria. MRSA infections were traditionally associated with hospitalization or other health care-associated risk factors, but this is no longer the case. Outbreaks occur in athletic facilities, schools and daycare centers, military barracks, correctional facilities, and other businesses and institutions.
 
NIOSH reports that MRSA usually spreads by touching infected skin, but it can also spread by touching materials or surfaces that had contact with an infection (e.g., towels, clothing, faucets, door knobs). This is how MRSA infections can spread in the workplace. Certain factors make it easier for it to spread and NIOSH lists their 5 Cs, which include:

1. Crowding,
2. Frequent skin-to-skin Contact,
3. Compromised Skin (cut, scrape or rash),
4. Contaminated Items and Surfaces, and
5. Lack of Cleanliness.

“Anyone can contract MRSA. The risk increases with increased crowding, skin-to-skin contact and shared contact surfaces that we call fomites,” said Derrick A. Denis, Vice President of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) for Clark Seif Clark (CSC).  “Community-associated infections of MRSA (CA-MRSA) can infect individuals in the workplace, on the jiu-jitsu mat, at the gym, in a jail or anywhere else people congregate. The incidence of CA-MRSA can be reduced through education, good personal hygiene and basic facility hygiene. You can go a long way towards mitigating both infection risks and unwarranted fear by understanding the ubiquitous natural of staph and the MRSA strain and by practicing consistent prevention tactics, such as basic wound care, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, cleaning and disinfection procedures.”

To help in these efforts, the infection control and IEQ professionals at CSC provide clients with building science, infection control and personal protective equipment educational resources; consulting services; and environmental testing to confirm cleaning and disinfection protocols are effective for superbugs such as MRSA, C. diff and many other pathogens, including SARS-CoV2 and E. coli. CSC also offers a quick and concise response to reported outbreaks to address both the anxieties and the tangible issues related to pathogens at the workplace or in institutions. CSC has even sponsored an educational video about MRSA and the workplace that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/AmUhVU5QjYY

To learn more about this or other microbial, infection control, environmental, industrial hygiene, building science, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail