Final answer:
OSHA requires that health-care workers be tested annually for tuberculosis (TB) due to its high transmissibility in healthcare settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that health-care workers be tested annually for tuberculosis (TB). This requirement is in place because TB is a highly communicable disease that can be easily transmitted in healthcare settings, especially to patients who are immunocompromised or have other health conditions that make them more susceptible to infection.
In contrast, while hepatitis C and HIV are also serious health concerns, there isn't a similar mandate for annual testing for these diseases in all healthcare workers. Testing for these conditions is often risk-based rather than routine. Influenza, although highly contagious and required to be managed with measures such as vaccination, does not currently have an annual testing mandate from OSHA. Instead, healthcare facilities typically encourage or require annual flu vaccinations.
It's worth noting that while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that healthcare workers be vaccinated against hepatitis B to prevent transmission, the annual requirement set by OSHA specifically pertains to TB testing due to the respiratory and airborne nature of TB transmission, which poses a unique risk within healthcare environments.