Protecting wastewater workers from disease risks: Personal protective equipment guidelines

Abstract

The 2013–2016 Ebola epidemic revived concerns about infection risks to wastewater workers. Prior research has shown that wastewater can contain a variety of known and emerging pathogens and that wastewater workers are at increased risk of infectious illnesses. However, guidelines on using personal protective equipment (PPE) to decrease these risks are lacking. We engaged 34 wastewater utility personnel and public health experts to conduct a job safety analysis identifying tasks in which workers could be exposed to pathogens and to develop a PPE selection matrix for preventing those exposures. We identified 43 relevant job tasks. Recommended PPE ranges from durable gloves (all tasks) to safety glasses (24 tasks), Tyvek suits or coveralls (4 tasks), and respiratory protection (N95 mask or face mask, depending on the activity, 10 tasks). The PPE selection matrix can serve as a guide for protecting the 120,000 wastewater workers in the United States from known and emerging pathogens. Practitioner points Wastewater workers are at increased risk of infectious illnesses. Policies to protect wastewater workers from these illnesses are lacking. We developed guidelines for use of personal protective equipment by wastewater workers to prevent exposure to infectious agents.

Percepção de agricultores de soja e arroz acerca dos riscos ocupacionais

“…Destaca-se, também, que os agricultores deste estudo percebem os riscos ocupacionais biológicos, embora utilizem os EPI de forma esporádica. Estudo americano (Lechevallier, Mansfield, & Gibson, 2020) realizado com agricultores revelou dados equivalentes aos achados no presente estudo, ao constatar que os esses possuem preocupações acerca dos riscos de infecção biológicas por fungos, bactérias e vírus em ambientes alagados e úmidos das plantações de arroz e quentes e secos das culturas de soja, como afecções do trato respiratório, circulatório, digestivo e dermatológico. Mesmo assim, prepondera à carência do uso EPI ou os utilizam de maneira inadequada, como luvas impermeáveis, óculos de segurança, macacões e máscaras de proteção respiratória, devido a pouca previsibilidade acerca da possibilidade de acidentes biológicos no trabalho rural.…”

Where do we stand to oversee the coronaviruses in aqueous and aerosol environment? Characteristics of transmission and possible curb strategies

“…It is worth noting that the emission of airborne aerosols was dependent on the type of reactor and aeration mode [158] , [160] , [161] . Thus, it should be borne in mind that the transmission via sewage-derived aerosol in WWTP cannot be ruled out if aerosols retain the sufficient concentration of infectious virus [162] . Another overlooked transmission pathway is fecal bioaerosol transmission [163] .…”

Implications of SARS‐CoV‐2 on current and future operation and management of wastewater systems

“…SARS‐CoV‐2 is only one of more than 100 different types of viruses in human waste (Water Environment Federation, 2013). These include many waterborne pathogenic enteric and respiratory viruses, such as noroviruses, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, adenovirus, astrovirus, enteroviruses, and rotavirus (Gerba et al, 2017; LeChevallier et al, 2019; Sinclair et al, 2008; Sinclair, Jones, & Gerba, 2009). The general trend of microbes susceptibility to disinfection and environmental degradation (e.g., light, temperature) has been described by the CDC (CDC, 2008) and is highlighted in Figure 2.…”

“…The wastewater sector is critical to public health protection and employs collection and treatment system workers who perform tasks with high potential for exposure to biological agents (LeChevallier, Mansfield, & Gibson, 2019; Maal‐Bared, Bibby, et al, 2020). While researchers have acknowledged the potential role that environmental scientists, engineers (Wigginton & Boehm, 2020), and industrial hygienists (Spinazzè, Cattaneo, & Cavallo, 2020) play during this pandemic, the role of the water utility professional is often overlooked.…”