Repeating some of the same concerns initially expressed last April, OSHA slapped the INS with a 23-count citation charging that immigration workers did not receive respirators and training needed to avoid contracting diseases from immigrants. The notice, including the 23-count citation, referred to workers at the main Houston office and a detention facility near Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday. At this time, we are still studying how to respond. Tuberculosis, a serious respiratory disease, can be spread airborne by coughing. But transmission usually requires prolonged exposure to a victim.
Recent studies show that tuberculosis rates are higher among the foreign-born.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted, in a report released last month, that within two years, up to half the cases in the United States would be found in the foreign-born. Because the INS is a government entity, the citation carries no fines. But John Lawson, head of OSHA's office covering north Houston, said his agency still has the power to force the INS to comply. The notice gives the INS until May 1 to resolve all the problems. Inc. All Rights Reserved.