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An Ounce of Prevention...
Your best defense against the deadly MRSA bacteria
By Doug Mitten, CCPOA Field Rep, West Sacramento
It seems the list of dangers to look out for when working inside a prison is growing. That's the bad news. The good news is CCPOA is focused on improving safety in your workplace. In the meantime, there are ways to lesson your chances of being attacked by this quiet killer.
On March 15, 2008, Calipatria State Prison C.O. Alma Zavala died from a highly resistant staph infection known as MRSA, or
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus. Her death followed violations found last year at Folsom State Prison by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA. In October 2007, their findings cited areas where the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation failed to investigate MRSA cases, or "to take timely and effective actions to address the staph hazard."
In short, it appears the Department failed to maintain a safe workplace for its employees. CCPOA has filed Cal/OSHA complaints at Pelican Bay State Prison, Folsom State Prison and Deuel Vocational Institution.
These complaints have resulted in citations and fines totaling more than $21,000. CCPOA is currently proceeding with a lawsuit against CDCR for failure to provide a safe working environment, due to the widespread outbreak of MRSA within the prison population.
Cal/OSHA is seeking statewide adherence to the special order they issued in October with the Folsom State Prison citation and fines. This special order would require CDCR to implement safeguards, education, and effective containment measures at every correctional facility in the state - both adult and youth facilities.
Most staph bacteria cause skin infections that are minor and easily treated with antibiotics. However, the MRSA bacteria is resistant to certain antibiotics, including methicillin and other common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MRSA can cause boils on the skin that rupture and drain. If not treated, the skin begins to decay. In more serious cases it can cause organ damage, blood poisoning and death. MRSA is often misdiagnosed as a spider bite. Only a culture of the boil drainage can confirm the presence of the MRSA bacteria.
The MRSA bacteria can be spread through crowding in housing units, skin-to-skin contact between individuals, participation in activities that result in skin abrasions, sharing of personal items (especially cloth items) that are contaminated with wound drainage, and poor personal hygiene.
How to protect yourself? Federal prison guidelines recommend commonsense precautions such as thorough hand washing before and after any contact with inmates. Be sure to use soap and hot water for a minimum of 15 seconds, even if gloves were worn.
During cell searches, correctional officers should wear nonporous protective clothing over their uniforms - especially if the inmate has a drainage that is not contained by a bandage. Federal guidelines suggest disposable protective clothing is best suited for this use, and it must be changed for each cell search to prevent contamination from one cell to the next. And be aware that MRSA bacteria can also be transmitted by body fluids.
Transport of infected inmates should only occur when essential, and the following procedures should be followed: the wound should be dressed on the day of transfer with clean bandages that will contain any wound drainage; use contact precautions such as hand washing and gloves; cover all porous surfaces in the vehicle with a clean plastic sheet; and decontaminate and disinfect any nonporous surface the inmate might have touched in the vehicle.
If you are aware of any MRSA outbreaks at any other institutions, please report them immediately to CCPOA Headquarters in West Sacramento. Call me at (800) 821-6443, or email me at douglas.mitten@ccpoa.org.
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