|
Legal
Requirements
OSHA's
Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
Workers in many
different occupations are at risk of exposure
to bloodborne pathogens. First Responders,
First aid team members, housekeeping personnel
in some settings, and nurses are examples of
workers who may be at risk of exposure
On December 6,
1991, the Federal Occupational Safety &
Health Administration (OSHA) issued the
"Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne
Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). Federal
OSHA determined that employees have a
significant health risk as the result of
occupational exposure to blood and other
potentially infectious materials (OPIM)
because they may contain bloodborne pathogens.
Theses pathogens include, but are not limited
to: hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus
(HCV), and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
Exposure to
bloodborne pathogens can be minimized or
eliminated when the development of an exposure
control plan addresses and implements, at the
minimum, the following elements: universal
precautions, combination of engineering and
work practice controls, personal protective
equipment, appropriate
decontamination/housekeeping, communication of
hazards and training, medical surveillance
which includes the offering of the hepatitis B
vaccination and post-exposure evaluation &
follow-up, and recordkeeping.
The exposure
control plan is required to be reviewed and
updated annually and whenever necessary to
reflect new or modified tasks, procedures and
engineering controls/devices which affect
occupational exposure and reflect new or
revised employee positions with occupational
exposure. Non-managerial employees responsible
for direct patient care who are potentially
exposed to injuries from contaminated sharps
are to be solicited in the identification,
evaluation and selection of effective
engineering and work practice controls and
documentation of the solicitation is required
to be included as part of the exposure control
program.
Which
employees are covered by OSHA's Bloodborne
Pathogen Standard?
Employees
having "reasonably anticipated"
exposure to blood or OPIM through skin, eye,
mucous membrane, or broken skin by: (needlesticks,
human bites, cuts, abrasions) that result from
the performance of an employee's job duties.
The hazard of
exposure to bloodborne pathogens affects
employees in many types of employment and is
not restricted to the healthcare or emergency
service industry.
What is
the definition of blood and other potentially
infectious materials (OPIM)?
Blood means
human blood, human blood components, and
products made from human blood.
"Other
potentially infectious materials" means
the following:
-
Human body
fluids: semen, vaginal secretions,
cerebrospinal (head ), amniotic (birth
fluid), peritoneal (abdomen), pericardial
(heart), pleural (lung, chest), synovial
(joints), saliva in dental procedures, any
body fluid visibly contaminated with
blood, and all body fluids in situations
where it is difficult or impossible to
differentiate between body fluids.
-
Any unfixed
tissue or organ (other than intact skin)
from a human (living or dead).
-
HIV-containing
cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures,
and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium
or other solutions as well as blood,
organs, or other tissues from experimental
animals infected with HIV or HBV.
How do
employers determine if their employees are
covered by the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?
Each employer
who has an employee(s) with occupational
exposure to blood or OPIM is required to
document an exposure determination. The
exposure determination is made without regard
to the use of personal protective equipment
since employees are considered exposed even if
they wear personal protective equipment.
The exposure
determination requires employers to identify
and document: 1) those job classifications in
which all employees have occupational
exposure, and 2) those job classifications in
which some employee have occupational
exposure.
In the latter
case, specific tasks and procedures, or groups
of closely related tasks and procedures, which
are associated with occupational exposure,
must be delineated.
(Note:
Employees expected as part of their job duties
to render first aid or medical assistance are
covered by the requirements of the standard.
If the employee is not designated nor trained
in first aid but is still expected to render
first aid to an injured employee or
customer/client, this expectation would
constitute, in affect, an actual designation
of the employee and OSHA would require such
employee to be enrolled in a bloodborne
pathogen program. The standard excludes
employees who perform unanticipated "Good
Samaritan" acts; e.g. one employee may
assist another who has a nosebleed or is
bleeding as result of a fall. This would not
be considered an occupational exposure unless
the employee who provides assistance is
expected to render medical assistance as one
of his/her job duties.)
|
