Authors' recommendations: Employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy working conditions for their employees. One of their obligations is to protect their employees against the potential effects of exposure to biological agents. Employers have various measures at their disposal for this purpose. One such measure is vaccination. A specific decision framework can help employers make consistent and responsible decisions about whether or not to vaccinate. The State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment has asked the Health Council of the Netherlands to develop a decision framework of this kind, analogous to the existing framework used to determine whether or not a given vaccine should be included in a public vaccination programme. The Committee that drew up the advisory report emphasised that the availability of an effective vaccine does not discharge employers of their obligation to take source control measures and to provide protective equipment (or protective personal equipment). Firstly, in the context of their occupational hygiene strategy, employers are legally obliged to implement measures as far up the scale as possible. Secondly, exposure at work is rarely limited to a single agent, so implementing measures high in the occupational hygiene strategy scale also offers protection against other agents.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2014

URL for published report: http://www.gr.nl/sites/default/files/summary_201430_werknemers_en_infectieziekten_criteria_voor_vaccinatie.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Netherlands

Organisation Name: Health Council of the Netherlands Gezondheidsraad

Contact Address: Postbus 16052, 2500 BB Den Haag, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 70 340 7520;Fax: +31 70 340 7523

Contact Name: info@gr.nl

Contact Email: info@gr.nl

Copyright: Health Council of the Netherlands