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Bloodborne Pathogens and
Needlestick Prevention |
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OSHA estimates that 5.6 million workers in the health care industry and related occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to
bloodborne pathogens, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and others.
All occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)
place workers at risk for infection with bloodborne pathogens. OSHA defines
blood to mean human blood, human blood components, and products made from human
blood. Other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) means: (1) The following
human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial
fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid,
saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with
blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to
differentiate between body fluids; (2) Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than
intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and (3) HIV-containing cell or
tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or
other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals
infected with HIV or HBV. The following references aid
in recognizing workplace hazards associated with bloodborne pathogens.
Bloodborne Pathogens
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Hospital. OSHA eTool. Offers a graphical menu to identify hazards and
controls found in the Hospital and Healthcare Industry.
- Bloodborne
Infectious Diseases: HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B Virus, and Hepatitis C Virus.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Safety and
Health Topic.
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National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.
US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
- Bloodborne Pathogens in Healthcare Settings. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP).
- Exposure to Blood: What Healthcare Personnel Need to Know. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Infectious Diseases, (2003, July),
363 KB
PDF, 10 pages.
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EPINet
Data Reports. University of Virginia, International Health Care Worker Safety Center. The
Center has used the Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet) since
1992 to collect data from approximately 70 hospitals on sharp object injury
and blood and body fluid exposure patterns in the health care setting.
Needlestick
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Medical & Dental Offices: A Guide to Compliance with OSHA Standards. OSHA Publication
3187-09R, (2003). Also available as a 787 KB
PDF,
2 pages. Provides a glimpse of the most frequently found
hazards in medical and dental offices.
- Disposal
of Contaminated Needles and Blood Tube Holders Used for Phlebotomy. OSHA
Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB),
(2003, October 15). Also available as a 37 KB PDF,
4 pages. OSHA has concluded that the best practice for prevention of
needlestick injuries following phlebotomy procedures is the use of
a sharp with engineered sharps injury protection (SESIP), (e.g.,
safety needle), attached to the blood tube holder and the immediate
disposal of the entire unit after each patient's blood is drawn.
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Securing Medical Catheters. OSHA Fact Sheet, 353 KB
PDF, 2 pages.
- OSHA
Clarifies Position on the Removal of Contaminated Needles. OSHA Trade
News Release, (2002, June 12).
- Job Safety
and Health Quarterly (JSHQ). (2001, Summer), 4 MB PDF,
44 pages.
- Fleming, Susan. "Preventing Needlesticks." Pages 12-13.
New rules affirm the need
for safer devices to protect workers.
- "Highlights of OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Revision." Page
41. A toolbox discussion of the revision to OSHA's bloodborne pathogens
standard.
- Preventing
Needlestick Injuries in Health Care Settings. US Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for
Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No.
2000-108, (1999, November). NIOSH warns that health care workers who use or may be exposed to needles are at increased risk of needlestick injury.
- Selecting,
Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers. US Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for
Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-111, (1998, January). Presents a
comprehensive framework for selecting sharps disposal containers and
evaluating their efficacy as part of an overall needlestick injury prevention
plan, reviews the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
bloodborne pathogens standard and recommends containers on the basis of a
site-specific hazard analysis, and establishes criteria and provides tools for
evaluating the performance of sharps disposal containers.
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What
Every Worker Should Know: How to Protect Yourself From Needlestick
Injuries. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2000-135,
(1997, July).
Discusses
pathogens that pose the most serious health risks.
- Evaluation
of Blunt Suture Needles in Preventing Percutaneous Injuries Among Health-Care Workers During Gynecologic Surgical Procedures; New York City,
March 1993-June 1994. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
46(02);25-29, (1997, January 17).
Identifies the effectiveness of blunt needles in reducing percutaneous injuries (PIs) and suggests that they should be considered for more widespread use in surgical procedures.
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