Occupational Health Services
Certain workers are required under the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to have physicals, vaccinations, etc., depending on various exposures they may have. Please contact Carol Shafford at 474-5413 if you have questions, or to request authorization for occupational health services.
Below are examples of workers who may require occupational health services:
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Divers
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Firefighters
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HazWaste and Emergency response workers
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Personnel working with animals
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Researchers working in remote locations (villages or in the field)
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Respirator users
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Workers exposed to noise in excess of 85 dBA for 8 hours or more
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Workers with exposure to: Bloodborne pathogens, Lead, Asbestos, or other specially regulated OSHA exposures
Below are some examples of physicals and vaccinations that we offer to authorized workers:
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Animal Care Worker exam & questionnaire
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Audio grams
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Diving exam and questionnaire
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HazMat exam and questionnaire
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Hepatitis A & B vaccinations
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Rabies vaccination and/or titer
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TB Test
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Tetanus
For additional information regarding OSHA Medical Screening & Surveillance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Occupational Health Services
How do I request a physical or vaccination?
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Call Carol Shaffor at 474-5413 to request authorization. It may be necessary to fill out a questionnaire prior to your appointment. Once we submit your authorization form, you will call and schedule an appointment with our contract health care provider.
Where are my records kept and who has access to them?
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Your medical records are kept with the current healthcare contractor. UAF is only given the minimal amount of documentation needed to qualify you for your job. For instance, if you received a medical exam at Alaska Occupation Health to wear a respirator, they would keep any medical information you discussed with them. They will only send UAF the form that says you are qualified to wear a respirator. If there are limitations to that qualification, they will also tell us what those limitations are. If we discontinued using that healthcare contractor, your records would be forwarded to the new contractor.
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The records that are given to UAF are kept in a secured storage area by an authorized person (typically the person who approved your exam.) Facilities Services records are kept at the Personnel/Payroll office. Animal Care Workers exams are kept at the Office of Research Integrity. All other exams are kept at the EHS&RM office at the University Park Building, room 157.
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After termination, records are kept for 30 years in a separate storage area (by the same department that kept them initially.) The records are secured and marked "Confidential."
What is HIPAA, and how does it affect me?
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HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is designed to protect your medical records and personal health information. Also, (from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa):
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It gives patients more control over their health information.
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It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records.
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It establishes appropriate safeguards that health care providers and others must achieve to protect the privacy of health information.
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It hold violators accountable, with civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed if they violate patient's privacy rights.
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It strikes a balance when public responsibility supports disclosure of some forms of data - for example, to protect public health.
For patients - it means being able to make informed choices when seeking care and reimbursement for care based on how personal health information may be used.
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It enables patients to find out how their information may be used, and about certain disclosures of their information that may have been made.
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It generally limits release of information to the minimum reasonably needed for the purpose of the disclosure.
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It generally gives patients the right to examine and obtain a copy of their own health records and request corrections.
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It empowers individuals to control certain uses and disclosures of their health information.
To learn more about HIPAA: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/consumer_summary.pdf
Page last update on 4/20/06 by A.Chism