OSHA has completed its investigation of researcher exposure to tularemia bacteria at Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Evans Biomedical Research Center, which resulted in three employees becoming ill.

OSHA learned of the exposures, which took place late last summer and early fall, through media reports. OSHA has issued to Boston University and Boston Medical Center Corporation identical sets of citations alleging three serious violations each of OSHA's personal protective equipment standard, including: failure to ensure that all employees wore gloves and eye protection when working with tularemia live vaccine strain (LVS); failure to certify in writing the required workplace hazard assessment for work with tularemia LVS; and failure to retrain employees who were working with tularemia LVS and who were not using gloves and eye protection.

The total proposed penalty for the alleged violations is $8,100.