Division Title
Health and Wellness

Medical Emergencies

Select one of the links below for more information:


Work-Related Medical Emergencies: Human or Nonhuman Primate Exposure

On-Call Emergency Care

Personal Medical Emergencies

Reporting of a Fatality, Work Related Hospitalization, Amputation or Loss of an Eye

Work-Related Medical Emergencies: Human or Nonhuman Primate Exposure

An injury that involves an exposure to human or nonhuman primate body fluid should be treated as a medical emergency. First aid should be initiated immediately on-site.

  • Contaminated skin should be scrubbed with soap and water for 15 minutes.

  • Contaminated eyes or mucous membranes should be irrigated with water or normal saline for 15 minutes.

The injury should be reported immediately to your local OMS clinic.

  • Bethesda: Building 10, Room 6C306, (301) 496-4411

  • Baltimore: Room 01B210, (443) 740-2309

  • IRF-Frederick: Room 1B116, (301) 631-7233

  • RML-Hamilton: Room 5205, (406) 375-9755 

Additional Resources

3_Emergency_Steps.pdf 

pdf documentFirst Response Guidance for Potential Exposure to B Virus 

external linkInfection Control Guidelines from the Clinical Center Hospital Epidemiology Service 


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On-Call Emergency Care

An OMS clinician is on-call to respond to occupational exposures to HIV, monkey B virus, and other potentially life-threatening biohazards that occur during hours that the clinic is closed. The on-call OMS healthcare provider can be contacted by calling the NIH Page Operator at (301) 496-1211.


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Personal Medical Emergencies

OMS provides limited medical care for personal medical emergencies that occur on the NIH campus.

For emergency medical care on the NIH Bethesda campus, call:

  • 111 in the Clinical Center
  • 911 (On Campus)
  • (301) 496-9911 (Cell Phone)
  • 9-911 (Off Campus)   

For emergency medical care on other campuses and buildings in the surrounding communities, call 911.


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Reporting of a Fatality, Work Related Hospitalization, Amputation or Loss of an Eye


An injury at the NIH that results in a fatality, work related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye, must be reported by the injured employee's supervisor immediately.  The person reporting the incident must contact the appropriate point of contact (POC) which is dependent on the location where the injury occurred:

 

Maryland Campuses (Baltimore, Bethesda, Frederick, Poolesville) (Call the NIH Page Operator at 301-496-1211 ask for the OMS on-call physician)

 

NCI Frederick (Call the Safety office at 301-846-1451- Incident Procedure for NCI Frederick at https://go.usa.gov/xpHpu)

 

Integrated Research Facility (IRF) – Frederick (Call the NIH Page Operator at 301-496-1211 ask for the OMS on-call physician)

 

Research Triangle Park (Call the NIEHS RTP security at 984-287-4500)

 

Rocky Mountain Laboratories (Call the NIH Page Operator at 301-496-1211 ask for the OMS on-call physician)


Note 1:  In the event that an employee goes to an emergency department from an injury that is work related and the supervisor reporting the injury is unaware of the details (i.e. whether the employee was formally admitted to the hospital or not), as a precaution, the supervisor shall call the appropriate POC above to provide details surrounding the emergency department visit. 

 

Note 2:  For contractor related injuries, if the contractor is under the day to day supervision of the contracting company, then it is the responsibility of that contracting company to report the injury to their respective injury reporting body (State or Federal OSHA).  Contractors overseen by federal employees on a day to day basis will follow the above procedure and contact their respective POC.  https://go.usa.gov/xpHpJ

 

Note 3:  The following information will need to be provided at the time of the phone call:

  • Injury location and time
  • Employee's name and phone number
  • Employee's home address
  • Brief description of the injury
  • How was the employee transported to the hospital (ambulance, EMS, co-worker etc.) 


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