Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: FALLING

NYSLL Article 2, Section 27(a)(3a)(1): Employer did not furnish to each of its employees employment and a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or were likely to cause death or serious physical harm to its employees and which will provide reasonable and adequate protection to the lives, safety or health of its employees. In applying this paragraph, fundamental distinctions between private and public sector employment have been recognized: a) Employees of the City Little Falls DPW were exposed to the hazard of being infected with the rabies virus through possible direct contact with saliva of rabid animals (eg, raccoons, fox, opossum, cats, dogs, deer or others) being introduced into open cuts or wounds in the skin or via mucous membranes which can occur when workers pick up and remove road kill or other dead animals. Reasonable and adequate abatement methods for reducing this hazard, among others, are: 1) Training - The employer had not developed and implemented an effective rabies control training program dealing with, but not necessarily limited to, the proper handling practices of removing road kill; the personal protective equipment needed; the etiology and modes of transmission of the disease; decontamination of equipment and personal hygiene (hand washing); avoidance of animal/saliva contact; and follow-up procedures in the event of an exposure incident. NOTE: Training shall be provided to all workers who are assigned tasks where there is occupational exposure to rabies.