Farmers need plan to keep employees safe from avian flu

By Ching Lee

To protect employees who work with dairy cows and poultry from H5N1 bird flu, farmers should have a basic plan in place, even if their animals are not infected. 

Such advice and other guidelines were shared during a webinar last month hosted by the California Farm Bureau-affiliated Farm Employers Labor Service, or FELS. 

Gene Glendenning, consultation program manager for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, said most agricultural employers already have an Injury and Illness Prevention Program, or IIPP, and those with animals are updating or implementing stand-alone zoonotic aerosol transmissible disease plans, which detail procedures for controlling diseases that can transfer from animals to humans.  

“It’s having certain things in place and ready to go,” Glendenning said. “You don’t want to find out that one of your employees is sick, and then go out and try to find a doctor.”

Bryan Little, California Farm Bureau senior director of policy advocacy and FELS chief operating officer, urged agricultural employers to have an IIPP at every work site. Farms operating without one become easy targets for Cal/OSHA inspectors, “like shooting fish in a barrel,” he said. 

Unlike the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when a very active wildfire season coincided with a surge in demand from medical personnel, leading to shortages of N95 respirators, Little noted personal protective equipment, or PPE, is now readily available through a variety of sources. He encouraged farm operators to make N95s available if their employees want to use them. 

As of Dec. 2, 31 human cases of H5N1 bird flu had been confirmed in California, according to the California Department of Public Health. All but one have been Central Valley dairy workers who had direct contact with infected cattle. The
workers have all experienced mild symptoms, primarily eye infections, with no hospitalizations. 

The state also continues to investigate a bird flu case in an Alameda County child who had no known contact with an infected animal. Health officials said they’re looking into whether the child had exposure to wild birds. All other confirmed cases have been animal-to-human transmissions, with no known human-to-human transmission. 

As of Dec. 2, 475 California dairies have been affected by bird flu since the state’s first case was confirmed in August.

Dairy workers can catch the virus in the milking parlor if infected raw milk splashes on their faces. They could also catch H5N1 through the air if an infected animal sneezes or coughs in their direction. Glendenning said that’s why face masks or face shields are important, as it appears infections can come through the eyes, mouth or nasal membranes. For those working with infected herds, “respiratory protection is going to be even more important,” he added.

“Biosecurity protocols are super critical” to protect dairy herds, poultry flocks and workers, said Bill Krycia, a retired Cal/OSHA agricultural enforcement coordinator. Whether farmers use the model program developed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture or one similar, Krycia said “you really, really, really need to have one.”

To avoid key potential exposures to the disease, people should not pick up dead birds or dead cats, Krycia said. If employees are sick, they should stay home. Hand washing remains a cornerstone of biosecurity and employee safety, he said.

“That’s one of the things (Cal/OSHA inspectors) are going to look for if they go out and do on-site investigations,” Krycia added. “Make sure that there’s adequate hand-washing facilities.”

For farms that have not been quarantined, a basic zoonotic aerosol transmissible disease plan should include written instructions for protecting employees, including rules for sanitation, illness investigation, training on what to look for, biosecurity and use of PPE. Employers must maintain records of how they comply with the law, Glendenning said. They should also have in place a physician who has agreed to work with the farm should there be an outbreak. 

“Think about what you would need as far as PPE and not wait until we have a problem,” Glendenning said.

If a farm is quarantined, safety procedures are heightened, Glendenning pointed out. The farm must post signs at all entrances to restricted areas where exposure to animal diseases could occur. To enter those areas, employees must use PPE, including respiratory protection, full-body coveralls, head coverings and gloves. 

There should be a supervisor knowledgeable about safety procedures who can train other employees and enforce rules in restricted areas. Cal/OSHA requires farms with infected animals to have a time log of who enters restricted areas. Those who work in those areas should be given health checks, medications and vaccinations once they become available. 

There is not yet a vaccine for H5N1. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last month it is working on a rapid test for humans. 

Employees working in enclosed areas must use elastomeric, half-face or full-face respirators or powered air purifying respirators, not N95s or filtering face-piece respirators. They should also have access to rooms to change and shower so they’re not transferring dirty PPE or clothes. 

Rules for handling infected herds or flocks are more protective and detailed, and apply to culling, transporting, killing, eradicating or disposing of infected animals. Procedures include how employees should decontaminate boots and dispose of PPE and animal waste, and how to control their exposure to infected animals or waste.

“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t take anything from the restricted area,” Glendenning said, adding that farmers should develop a disinfection plan for trucks and equipment. 

There are also rules on disinfecting areas used to contain infected animals or their waste. Such plans should cover risk assessment for biological, chemical, physical and safety hazards. 

“You’ve got to make sure that you’re not getting overexposed to the disinfectant as well,” Glendenning said, noting respiratory protection may be needed.

Employers must establish a medical services program for employees who enter restricted areas before there’s a problem, not when finding out there’s an infected herd, Glendenning said. Consult with a physician knowledgeable about zoonotic disease and chemical hazards. Employees working in restricted areas must be given an initial medical evaluation with follow-up. The physician will then sign an authorization for the employee to work in a restricted area while wearing a respirator. The program must maintain the confidentiality of employees’ medical information. 

(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)