The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health thanked Gov. Andrew Cuomo for taking the necessary steps toward creating an Ebola preparedness plan for the state, but also called on the governor to set Ebola training standards to deal with a potential outbreak, the Daily News reports.
NYCOSH, a nonprofit dedicated to workplace safety, said any training needs to include airport workers and educational staff to be truly effective: "While we believe that training at-risk workers is critical to ensuring the state's preparedness for Ebola, the details of both the training curriculum and implementation remain unclear and will greatly impact the plan's success and effectiveness," the group wrote in a letter to the governor.
The training should be standardized and must also include specifics about personal protective equipment and safe work practice and training that is "hands-on."
"For an Ebola preparedness plan to be effective, it must include these critical components of worker education and hands-on training, created master trainers in New York State, and be properly funded to ensure the plan's implementation," the group wrote.
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health also has released its own three-page guidance document on Ebola Virus Disease and how workers can protect themselves.
