Designed to protect employees from the health hazards in the medical industry, OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard incorporates a number of safeguards to prevent occupational exposure to pathogens including Hepatitis B (HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and other potentially infectious materials (OPIMs). Show
Learn more in this video or the transcription below about not only what OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard is, its past amendments, the safeguards it includes, who it applies to, and how to ensure you’re staying compliant, but also some of its background information like examples and a definition of what a bloodborne pathogen is. Video Transcription What Is the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?As amended by the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard lays out a wide range of safeguards designed to protect employees from exposure to infectious materials like blood, body fluids, unfixed human tissues, and other potentially infectious materials (OPIMs). The Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires using a combination of protections including:
What Is the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act?Since sharps injuries are still a serious and recurring issue in healthcare today, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was added to OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard in 2000.The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act is designed for implementing sharps-specific protections, including:
What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?Bloodborne pathogens are infectious organisms in blood that can cause disease in humans if they’re exposed to them. Types of pathogens include:
What Are OPIMs?There are three main categories of other potentially infectious materials:Body Fluids
Unfixed Tissues/Organs
Contaminated Materials
Where Does OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Apply?The Bloodborne Pathogens standard applies to all employees who may be reasonably anticipated to contact blood or other pathogens, but to be more specific there are four main groups of workers who employers will need to provide protections for:
How to Ensure Compliance With the Bloodborne Pathogens StandardTaking steps like using personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of bloodborne pathogens exposure in the workplace is important both for employee protection as well as compliance with OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard. Besides PPE though, compliance also requires implementing an exposure control plan with details on other employee protections like vaccinations, engineering and work practice controls, and annual employee training. Implementing Universal, Standard, and Transmission-Based PrecautionsThe Bloodborne Pathogens standard includes three key approaches to infection control—universal, standard, and transmission-based precautions. Universal Precautions (UP)Initially implemented in the 1980s, UP is an approach to infection control where blood and specific body fluids are considered infectious. While UP is included in the Bloodborne Pathogens standard, it’s no longer used on its own. Standard Precautions (SP)Introduced in 1996, SP adds more precautions to UP to protect workers from pathogens in not only blood and specific fluids, but also in OPIMs and other body fluids where UP doesn’t apply. SP requirements include PPE use, safe injection practices, and safe contaminated equipment management. Transmission-Based Precautions (TBP)TBP adds on to SP with extra protections for managing contact, droplet, and airborne-transmissible diseases. The different TBP types used vary depending on what’s known about a patient’s infection. OSHA’s Requirements for Reducing Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure RisksOSHA’s standards for reducing exposure risks include:
Stay Prepared With Employee TrainingAll exposure control plans need to incorporate employee training both for worker safety as well as compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard.Information to cover during training includes:
OSHA requires all employees receive annual training on the Bloodborne Pathogens standard no matter if they’ve already done it before or they’re being trained for the first time. Are You In Line With OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?Medical Waste Pros partners with a nationwide network of medical waste disposal and compliance training providers to help ensure you’re staying compliant with OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard. For free quotes on sharps and infectious waste disposal services or compliance training services for the Bloodborne Pathogens standard, simply fill out the form to your right or give us a call at (888) 755-6370 today. When did bloodborne pathogen standards go into OSHA?The Occupational Safety and Health Administration published the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens standard in 1991 because of a significant health risk associated with exposure to viruses and other microorganisms that cause bloodborne diseases.
What is the OSHA Bloodborne pathogens Standard?What is the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard? OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) as amended pursuant to the 2000 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, is a regulation that prescribes safeguards to protect workers against health hazards related to bloodborne pathogens.
When did bloodborne pathogens start?OSHA, also known as the Occupational Safety And Health Administration, published the first bloodborne pathogens standard in 1991.
Who must comply with OSHA Bloodborne pathogens Standard?The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies to employees who have occupational exposure (reasonably anticipated job-related contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials).
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