Position Statements

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) upholds a set of values based in social democracy, social justice and environmental justice. These values guide HSAA in taking positions on issues that arise on an ongoing basis. Our position statements align with our mission, vision, values and strategic plan.

HSAA is affiliated with the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and its subordinate bodies – the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the various District Labour Councils across Alberta.

To learn more about the mission and strategic plan that guide HSAA, click here.

On this page you can review the web version of our position statements. A PDF file can also be downloaded.

Position Statement 14 - Source Testing

HSAA will support Source Testing on a voluntary basis and encourage procedural improvements, and educational programs for workers that will yield reductions in frequency of exposure, as well as train the worker on how to deal with exposure when it has occurred.

Rationale:

HSAA members may be exposed to infectious body fluids at work, body fluids in the form of needle stick injuries, and other inadvertent exposure, could lead to infection and illness in the affected worker.

Testing of the patient who was the source of the potentially infectious material may be helpful in predicting the potential transmission of certain pathogens.

Such screening at most provides a “snapshot” of a particular moment in time, and does not rule out infection in affected workers.

Such screening has the potential of instilling a false sense of security into the affected worker and could result in the affected worker not taking necessary steps in further transmission of infection.

Testing of Source patients does involve some risks minor risks to the patient.

Approved at 2004 AGM
Amended May 2018 Convention