BIOLOGICAL PATHOGENS DEATH INVESTIGATORS ARE EXPOSED TO; DO OSHA GUIDELINES HELP?
BIOLOGICAL PATHOGENS DEATH INVESTIGATORS ARE EXPOSED TO; DO OSHA GUIDELINES HELP?
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Issue Date
1977
Authors
Smith, Debra N.
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Abstract
Men and women who work in the field of death investigation are routinely exposed and threatened to biological pathogens. The nature of this work provides unforeseen circumstances for these individuals and often an inability to predict health risks each face. These disease producing organisms can be present on the evidence at a crime scene, in contaminated bodily fluid surrounding a deceased person, or simply in the air the forensic professional breathes while evaluating the situation. There is always a possibility the investigator may contract an illness or disease. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created to insure the investigator's protection against risk of exposure to these pathogens. It makes recommendations and authors guidelines for those in the field to follow. If these are adhered to properly, protection should be sufficient.
This research study carefully examined the problems that these organisms pose to the health of the forensic professional and whether adequate protection is possible when recommended guidelines are followed. It became apparent from the data collected, only moderate compliance to these recommendations presently exists among death investigators. Reported cases of illness or disease contracted while on the job by death investigators from across the country came from persons not complying with strict adherence to these guidelines. Individuals who wore all necessary protective clothing and equipment while performing their jobs reported no contracted illnesses. In many offices, not all necessary equipment was even available to these individuals. Other findings strongly support the need for a national standard level of training and evaluation of persons practicing death investigation respective to their specific job descriptions.
There is no doubt that death investigation offers inherent risks to one's health. The biological pathogens responsible for these dangers demand some degree of respect from individuals in the field. By doing so, can only then an individual possess control over his or her own safety and well being while working in this field.