Latex glove restrictions target food handlers
Hospitals broaden their focus on latex safety
Safer glove use isn’t just an issue for health care workers and housekeeping staff. Food handlers are the focus of nationwide efforts to reduce latex sensitization. Last year, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to pass a law mandating broad-based protections from latex exposure.
The Latex Glove Safety Act, enacted in July, prohibits food services regulated by the state from using latex gloves. All facilities that use latex gloves, including hospitals, must post warning signs alerting the public that it may be exposed to the substance. Furthermore, the Rhode Island Department of Health and other state agencies now have authority to develop regulations related to latex.
Hospitals already have made a great deal of progress in addressing the latex issue, says Maureen Glynn, assistant attorney general and the state’s health care advocate. The hospitals participated in the state attorney general’s Latex Allergy Advisory Task Force, which looked at best practices at hospitals around the country, she says. "We developed a guide for best practices in latex in hospitals," she says. "We have a community hospital that is now latex-safe, having converted across the board to latex-free equipment. We have hospitals that have emergency rooms that are latex-safe. Considerable change has occurred in the last year with hospitals, prior to this law coming into effect."
Rhode Island hospitals now routinely screen employees and patients for latex allergy or medical history that may indicate a risk for latex allergy. The state’s hospitals standardized their color code for latex allergy, using purple ID bands and flags on charts. All emergency medical service vehicles also are latex-safe, Glynn says. Other states have considered legislation related to latex, particularly focusing on food handling and warning signs. Arizona is the only other state that currently prohibits the use of latex by food handlers — a result of state regulation, not legislation.
The use of contractors or caterers for food services may complicate the efforts to eliminate latex, notes Wendy Huber, MD, a dermatologist at South Sacramento Kaiser Medical Center and chair of Kaiser Permanente’s latex alternative products sourcing and standard team. Food handlers can use simple plastic gloves and don’t need more expensive products, such as nitrile, she says. "You’re just trying to keep the food clean," she says.
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