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- Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
Additional Resources
Training
- Bloodborne Pathogens. OSHA, (December 17, 2001). Assists trainers conducting OSHA 10-hour general industry outreach training for workers. Since workers are the target audience, the material emphasizes hazard identification, avoidance, and control - not standards.
- Training Resources. OSHA. Contains training and reference materials related to bloodborne pathogens.
- CDC Learning Connection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Browse for distance learning courses and resources.
OSHA Resources
- Record Summary of the Request for Information on Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens due to Percutaneous Injury. (May 1999). Summarizes nearly 400 comments from health care facilities, workers and others who responded to OSHA's request for information on engineering and work practice controls used to eliminate or minimize the risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens due to percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps.
- OSHA Offices by State. Each Regional Office has a Bloodborne Pathogens Coordinator available to answer questions.
- Small Business.
- Compliance Assistance Specialists (CASs). Provides general information about OSHA standards and compliance assistance resources.
Publications
- Medical & Dental Offices: A Guide to Compliance with OSHA Standards. Publication 3187, (2004). Provides a glimpse of the most frequently found hazards in medical and dental offices.
- Model Plans and Programs for the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazard Communications Standards (PDF). Publication 3186, (2003). Includes a model exposure control plan to meet the requirements of the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard and a model hazard communication plan to meet the requirements of the hazard communication standard.
- Personal Protective Equipment. Publication 3151, (2004). Helps both employers and employees understand the types of PPE, know the basics of conducting a "hazard assessment" of the workplace, select appropriate PPE for a variety of circumstances, and understand what kind of training is needed in the proper use and care of PPE.
- Access to Medical and Exposure Records (PDF). Publication 3110, (2001). Provides information for employees who have had possible exposure to or use toxic substances or harmful physical agents at their work site or employers who have employees who may be exposed.
- Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Forms - 300, 300A, 301
- OSHA Publications
OSHA Alliances
- Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources (JCR). Signed July 27, 2004; renewed November 8, 2006; renewed January 14, 2009; renewed August 21, 2013.
Additional Information
- Information for Employers Complying with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-111, (March 2009).
- First Responders: Protect Your Employees with an Exposure Control Plan. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-115, (July 2008). First Responders face unique scenarios due to uncontrolled settings and the possible presence of large volumes of blood at the scene. A comprehensive bloodborne pathogens exposure prevention program will help protect your employees.
- First Responders: Encourage Your Workers to Report Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-118, (July 2008). Encourage your employees to report all exposures. This way, you can carry out your responsibility to take appropriate post-exposure actions to protect your workers, their families, and the public against infection from bloodborne pathogens.
- First Responders: Informational Poster on Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-116, (July 2008).
- Protect Your Employees with an Exposure Control Plan. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-158, (September 2007). NIOSH researches visited a number of prisons and jails to learn more about current practices and procedures being used to protect health care workers from bloodborne diseases. This brochure provides information to medical service administrators and supervisors about common problems with facility Exposure Control Plans.
- Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in healthcare Settings. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP), (2007). Provides an outline of a single set of standard precautions to be used for the care of all patients in hospitals regardless of their presumed infection status.
- Worker Health Chartbook 2004. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-146, (September 2004).
- Cardo, Denise M., et al. "A Case-Control Study of HIV Seroconversion in Health Care Workers after Percutaneous Exposure." The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) 337(November 20 1997): 1485-1490. Abstract only.
- The CDC Prevention Guidelines Database. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Provides a comprehensive compendium of all of the official guidelines and recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prior to October 1998 for the prevention of diseases, injuries, and disabilities.
Training Requirements
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to provide information and training to workers. Employers must ensure that their workers receive regular training that covers all elements of the standard including, but not limited to: information on bloodborne pathogens and diseases, methods used to control occupational exposure, hepatitis B vaccinations, and medical evaluation, including post-exposure follow-up procedures. Employers must offer this training on initial assignment, at least annually thereafter, and when new or modified tasks or procedures affect a worker's risk of occupational exposure. [More...]