- Presently responsible for post exposure management for Hamilton County government
employees who sustain blood and/or body fluid exposures on the job in accordance
with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
standards and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
guidelines. This includes employees in the following divisions of county government:
Health Department, County Jail, Emergency Medical Services, Parks and Recreation,
Forensic Center, Juvenile Detention Center and Court, Rural Transportation,
and County Schools.
- Provide assistance with writing exposure control plans and annual updates
for all of these divisions.
- Coordinate all outreach flu and pneumonia vaccine activities for the Health
Department. Flu vaccinations are provided at approximately 30 sites within the
community each year. These sites include local businesses, churches, senior
centers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, retirement homes, housing
towers, etc.
- Present programs on topics related to communicable disease within the community.
Topics range from the control of communicable disease in day care to Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards to blood borne pathogens with
emphasis on
hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
As of January 1, 1997 the State of Tennessee put into effect regulations regarding
tattoo studios and tattoo artists. Studio owners and tattoo artists are required
to follow these regulations pertaining to the operation of the studio and the practices
of the artists. Because tattooing is an invasive procedure, where blood will be
present, the artists must follow the OSHA Blood borne Pathogen Standard just like
hospitals, clinics, physicians, etc. Tattoo artists are required to participate
in and complete training provided by Special Projects and Environmental Health.
They are required to pass a test at the end of training before they will be issued
a license.