CDC, California OSHA at odds over N95 rules

Editor's Note

Guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about when healthcare workers should wear N95 masks are less stringent than those from California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA), Medical Xpress reported on December 21.

Specifically, the CDC’s advisory committee has suggested that health workers wear surgical masks instead of N95s for "common, often endemic respiratory pathogens" that "spread predominantly over short distances." Under these guidelines, N95 masks are advised only for "new or emerging" diseases and those that spread "efficiently over long distances." In contrast, Cal/OSHA , requires hospitals to improve ventilation, use air filtration, and provide N95s to all staff exposed to all airborne diseases. 

One example of confusion over the conflicting guidelines is the situation of California hospital system Sutter Health, which is appealing an OSHA citation based on CDC’s shifting advice about N95s.