Benefits of TST Certification
- You and your facility would be in compliance with MIOSHA guidelines and CDC recommendations for TST certification.
- You could earn up to 4 continuing education hours (if qualified, more information on CE Info page).
- Certification lasts for 24 months.
- It looks great on your resume; many facilities in Michigan are now making TST training.
- By increasing your knowledge of TB and the TST, you will be more able to identify people with latent TB infection and refer them for evaluation and treatment as appropriate.
- You would join a group of highly-trained health-care professionals in the fight for TB elimination!
MIOSHA Requirements
Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) has requirements for staff training and competency for evaluating occupational exposure to tuberculosis (TB). MIOSHA's reqirements directly refer to the U.S. OSHA procedures and scheduling for occupational exposure to TB.
On the top of page 14 of the OSHA regulation it states: “A ‘TB skin test,’ or TST, means the intradermal injection (Mantoux Method) of PPD (a tuberculin antigen) with subsequent measurement of the indurations (hardened mass) by designated, trained personnel.”
On page 16 the OSHA regulation states: “The CDC recommends that employers ensure that workers receive TB training relevant to their work. Training should emphasize the risks posed by undiagnosed individuals with TB disease and the measures that can be taken to reduce the risk. Training should be documented and repeated as needed. See 2005 CDC Guidelines, pp. 27-28.”
The “CDC Guidelines” are the 2005 MMWR publication titled ‘Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, 2005,’ available here.
The following sections of the CDC guidelines support the MIOSHA/OSHA regulations and specify the knowledge and skills CDC considers essential for qualification to administer, read and interpret the TST:
- Suggested Components of an Initial TB Training and Education Program for HCWs (page 14)
- Training and Educating HCWs (page 27)
- QC Program for Techniques for TST Administration (page 47)
- Reading TST Results (page 47)
- QC for Administering TST by the Mantoux Method (page 48)
- Model TST Training Program (page 48).
Health care settings should be familiar with the MIOSHA/OSHA requirements for staff training and competencies, and how they would apply to a given setting. Thus, we strongly recommend our workshop as the standard for assuring staff are trained and competent to place and read the TST appropriately.
