GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING HIV+ AND AIDS EMPLOYEE POLICY
Fire department management and labor leaders must:
- Endorse nondiscriminatory employment policies and educational programs about HIV + and AIDS individuals. This requires validated entrylevel and validated continuing condition of employment testing or performance standards.
- Communicate their support of these policies to workers in simple, clear, and unambiguous terms.
- At a minimum, comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- Base employment policies on the scientific and epidemiological evidence that employees with AIDS or HIV infection do not pose a risk of transmission of the virus to coworkers and should not require HIV screening as part of preemployment or general fire department physical examinations.
- Undertake education for employees before such an incident occurs and provide specific, ongoing education and training, as well as the necessary equipment to reinforce appropriate infection-control procedures and ensure that they are implemented.
- Ensure that employees with AIDS or HIV infection are given the same rights and opportunities as employees with other serious or life-threatening illnesses and protect the confidentiality of all employees’ medical information.
- Provide employees with sensitive, accurate, and up-to-date education about risk reduction in their personal lives.
- Provide support services to those infected or affected.
Fire department management must:
Fire department management should:
