Every day, Clark Seif Clark professionals are deployed across the nation helping both large and small customers resolve health & safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and indoor air quality issues.
At a moment's notice, Clark Seif Clark can send their experts anywhere they are needed. No matter if it's in response to a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado or other natural disaster, Clark Seif Clark is ready to help and can respond in no time at all.
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Mitigating Exposure Risks to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Workplace
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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.
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Clark Seif Clark (CSC)
800.807.1118
SERVICES:
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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:
- Crowding,
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Frequent skin-to-skin Contact,
- Compromised Skin (cut, scrape or rash),
- Contaminated Items and Surfaces, and
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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 below:
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To learn more about this or other microbial, infection control, environmental, industrial hygiene, building science, health and safety services, please:
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Protecting Workers and the Public from Acrylamide and Other Chemical Exposure Risks
Acrylamide is described by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) as a colorless, odorless, crystalline solid that can react violently when melted. It is used to make polyacrylamides, which are mainly used in treating wastewater discharge from water treatment plants and industrial processes.
In addition, the agency reports that acrylamide and polyacrylamides are used in the production of dyes and organic chemicals, contact lenses, cosmetics and toiletries, permanent-press fabrics, textile production, pulp and paper production, ore processing, sugar refining, and as a chemical grouting agent and soil stabilizer for the construction of tunnels, sewers, wells and reservoirs.
Acrylamide is also formed in foods that are rich in carbohydrates when they are fried, grilled or baked. This is why ATSDR reports that for the general population, exposure to acrylamide occurs mainly through eating contaminated food, although it can also occur by breathing secondhand smoke or drinking contaminated water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates acrylamide levels in drinking water and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the amount of it in a variety of materials that come in contact with food.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have all concluded that acrylamide is likely to be carcinogenic to humans. Back in 1990, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added acrylamide to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65. It was also added to the list for developmental and reproductive toxicity in 2011.
“Workers in a number of industries can be exposed to acrylamide through inhalation, skin and eye contact, and through skin absorption,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “This is why NIOSH and OSHA have established occupational exposure limits for the workplace. At CSC, our industrial hygiene and environmental professionals offer testing, monitoring, consulting and training services to help eliminate or mitigate exposures to acrylamide and many other potential hazards.”
CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about acrylamide and potential exposure risks that can be seen below:
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To learn more about acrylamide or other environmental, occupational, health and safety testing services, please visit www.csceng.com, email [email protected] or call (800) 807-1118.
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About Clark Seif Clark: CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both the public and private sectors address environmental 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 healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.
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21732 Devonshire St., Ste. B,
Chatsworth, CA 91311
800.807.1118
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