October 15, 1999
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) today released a letter from Labor Secretary Alexis Herman that presents the official views of the Department on HR 1899, The Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act.
HR 1899 would protect health care workers from the more than 800,000 needlestick injuries suffered by them each year. These injuries can lead to the transmission of serious, often fatal, illnesses such as AIDS and Hepatitis C. The bill would establish new standards enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requiring the use of safe needles that are engineered to prevent such accidental injuries. The bill was introduced by Rep. Stark and Rep. Marge Roukema (R-NJ) earlier this year.
In her letter, Secretary Herman states, "This legislation takes important steps toward improving protection for health care workers against injuries from contaminated needles and other sharps." And then goes on further to say, "The intent of HR 1899 is consistent with the Department's goals regarding this issue."
"The letter from the Department of Labor is yet another green light for passage of HR 1899, the Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act. The bill is modeled on a California law which went into effect last July and whose implementation is going very smoothly. We have more than 140 bipartisan cosponsors on HR 1899. And, the Department of Labor now adds their voice to those of many outside organizations saying that the time has come to enact federal requirements to protect health care workers from these senseless and preventable injuries," said Rep. Stark.
"I commend Secretary Herman for continuing to battle with us in this fight to protect health care workers. Together -- and with the support of all of the outside organizations representing health care workers -- we can and must enact HR 1899," concluded Rep. Stark.
Along with the letter, the Department laid out some recommendations for
technical revisions to the legislation. To obtain a copy of the full Department
of Labor letter, please call (202) 225-5065.
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