TB Shots

System

We require our teachers to obtain TB Shots, in accordance with NJ Law. Must we pay for this? I can't find anything about this on-line?

Thanks for your help.

Eve

DeidreFR5

When I worked in a Nursing Home (MA) a few years ago, we were required to have every employee receive a TB test annually. We received the "stuff" from the Board of Health and the state paid for it. Employees could either have our employee health nurse administer it or they had the option to go to the board of health and receive it there. As an aside, it was free to any city resident to receive one at the BOH.

HR in Okla

We also require annual TB tests (given by an injection under the skin)of all employees. Our state health department will provide them free of charge also.

In Oklahoma, if you require something of an employee, you must pay for it. However, you can require they furnish proof that they received it from the state health department. That might be a way to accomplish the goal at little cost.

I'd suggest you call your state health department and ask what they can do for you.

Don D

I know of no law or regulation requiring an employer to pay for the shots, but it only makes sense if you require them.

We are required under OSHA to 'offer' the TB shot series to first responders or employees post incident when they have potentially come into contact with the bodily fluids of others at work. We just gave the first shot in the series to 22 employees and the cost was $50 per shot. We gladly pay for the shots since our first responders are volunteers and we value what they bring to the table.

HR in Okla

Don, are you talking TB or Hepatitis B? The Hep B vaccine is very expensive. OSHA does require either the injections or proof it was offered and declined. "Blood-borne pathogens" regs... I'm not sure if it applies to everyone or just high-risk industries. As a nursing home provider, we have to comply.

We provide TB tests on-site and also offer the Hep B vaccine, which takes a series of 3 injections over a 6 month period.

The TB "tests" are given by injection, then checked in 3 days for reaction. They just indicate a positive or negative for antibodies to tuberculosis. A positive reaction is followed up by an xray confirmation.

The original question was about TB "shots" which is confusing terminology, but in Okla. because we have a high incidence of tuberculosis, TB tests are required for many jobs, particularly those dealing with children or the elderly.

Don D

Ahhh, my mistake. Hep B. How could I forget that. I just gigged in an audit for not having them offered or refusal sheets signed and paid a ton for them. Sorry. Not TB. There goes my hair trigger again.

HR in Okla

Dear Don, you must have been repressing a bad experience. It's okay, I'm so grateful to know you are human. You're usually 100% right, I always look to you for the answers. Thanks.

blw

We require all employees to get their TB before they begin work for us. We provide childcare and it is state mandated. We do not pay for it. It is my understanding we can require them to get it. We do train them and pay for their time to become first aid/cpr certfied.

Rockie

Our medical practice requires all employees to have a TB test. They are also commonly called PPD test. We also require certain individuals to undergo the Hep B vaccine We pay for all required innoculations, but we can get the vaccine at a nominal cost.

We also offer free flu shots to employees, but remember we have nurses on site to give them. They won't let me do it I volunteered!!!!

HRQ

Sorry, I'm a little slow in responding...

Our childcare centers are licensed by AZ DHS, which requires all employees obtain negative TB test results within 12 hours of starting work.

We pay for the test and payroll deduct the $11 fee if the employee leaves us within 12 months. (Yes, the employee signs off on the payroll deduct!)

System

Thanks!

cebudragonlady

Then the new employees must be having the test done 2 - 3 days prior to starting work , in order to have a negative reading result within 12 hours after starting work. Correct ?

Chari

HRQ

Yes - we don't allow the employees to start until they've received negative results. We offer the job contingent on negative results. They don't start until the negative results are received.

Crout

If the test is required by law prior to employment, (and I'm sure it is) then you are not obligated to pick up the cost. It's on the EE.

stilldazed

Your discussion on TB testing is very timely. As it turns out, I have been reviewing my company's TB testing process for the last couple of weeks and charged with the task of determining if it needs to be revamped as well as identify potential ways to reduce costs. We are a retirement community with a daycare facility and a long-term care facility (lots of nursing staff). We have been requiring and paying for TB screening for all 500 employees annually as well as all candidates for hire in the conditional offer stage (approx. 750/year). I made a call to our local county health office yesterday and spoke with the designated TB nurse. She confirmd that the focus of TB screening has changed to high risk populations rather than the more general shotgun approach that many of us are accustomed to seeing. The directive came from WHO and CDC. The idea is to optimize resources in a way that is most effective, and apparently studies have revealed that questionnaire and observation are as effective when there is little risk of infection as anything. Plus, they're cheaper, and they don't yield false positives that tie up further resources to confirm someone is latent or not infected at all. While this may not be true for any of your respective locations, our part of Florida has been classified low risk, so we no longer are required to do TB skin testing unless their is a high risk of exposure. We have no respiratory unit at our facility that would be equipped to treat TB, so none of our healthcare staff has to be skin tested. Further, the new directive has removed the requirement of testing school and daycare staff, so our daycare staff doesn't have to be skin tested, nor does our food service staff. I received documentation yesterday that confirms our screening can change to a short questionnaire (about 20 questions), which can be reviewed by admin staff. Depending on a person's response, he/she may or may not be referred for second-level screening with a health professional, who will interview the patient and decide whether skin testing, sputum testing, or chest x-ray is required. Also, county health departments are charged with the responsibility of ensuring adequate community programs are in place by the Florida DOH, and they offer TB screening at no cost. Therefore, employers (in our part of the state at least) can refer candidates for hire to county health departments for the screening, which will be questionnaire and referral as needed for further scrutiny. I put a proposal together this morning for our organization to migrate to the new testing scenario and expect we'll change our process within the next few weeks. If we do, I'll make our employees who don't like needle sticks happy, and I'll make my boss happy for finding a way to cut some costs.

HR in Okla

Good job! Wish I could tell our employees that, but they'd all move to Florida.

Unfortunately, Oklahoma still has a high risk population including an outbreak at another nursing home in Ok City that made national news, so I'm sure we'll be doing the skin tests a lot longer.

Happy weekend, everyone.

schusid

Don,

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