An expansion of state law that allows all law enforcement employees to find out if they’ve been exposed to a blood-borne disease will make the workplace a little safer for those who deal with the criminal element, a Chandler Republican says.
Sen. Jay Tibshraeny, R-21, sponsored the legislation, which took effect Sept. 19, that will allow all police, corrections and fire department employees and volunteers to request a court order to perform a blood test on another person if there are reasonable grounds to believe an exposure to a blood-borne disease occurred.
“It’s a safety issue to make sure…people who do come in contact with prisoners or suspects can make sure they’re not exposed,” Tibshraeny said.
The law was changed in 1999 to include “common blood borne diseases” along with HIV, but limited the ability to get court orders to only sworn officers.
Tibshraeny says expanding the law to cover the support staff and volunteers at public safety agencies was the natural next step.
“It made a lot of common sense,” he said. “A lot of times, your best laws are the simple laws.”
Lobbyist: Include state hospital workers
One lobbyist says he would like the law to be revisited next year to include employees at the Arizona State Hospital. Chuck Foy, lobbyist for the Communication Workers of America, says hospital employees are “regularly assaulted” by patients who physically attack or throw human waste at the workers.
“There’s no mechanism in place for them to find out if these folks have an infectious disease,” Foy said. “We’re looking to include them in the same program as the public safety employees.”
He said there are more than 300 nurses, orderlies and security officers at the hospital who would be included in the legislation next year.
Tibshraeny said he is open to looking to expand the law again to include the hospital workers.
“It makes sense that we’re offering protections to anybody who comes into contact with a potentially life-threatening disease to find out if they’ve been exposed,” he said.