Health is key factor when traveling says OSHA

Date: 1/2/2015

A report from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that it is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure travel health before, during and after any type of travel, whether it is business related or not.

According to Centers for Disease Control estimates in the report, approximately 35 percent of all travel is business related but travel related diseases have an equal spread across all demographics due to a lack of pre-travel prevention.

“The failure of travelers to receive preventive medication results in unnecessary illness, medical expense, and the potential spread of contagious diseases with in their local communities,” the report stated.

Employers are encouraged to identify employees who may travel internationally and to refer them to qualified health care professionals for the purpose of providing helpful travel health information and vaccinations that could protect those traveling employees and others with in the workplace environment.

Those employees traveling to developing countries or high risk areas are asked to take specific precautions by OSHA and the CDC, including:
• Speak with a travel health specialist and receive any necessary vaccinations and preventative medicines.
• Be sure to receive any booster vaccinations against any disease you may have diminished immunity to such as:  yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid and influenza.
• Don’t handle animals in the region, especially monkeys, dogs and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases from rabies or plague.
• Drink bottled or boiled water while avoiding tap water or ice that may be contaminated.

For more information on these OSHA guidelines and what employees and employers can do to avoid health issues related to travel visit its website.