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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued regulations to reduce or eliminate the possibility of an employee contracting any of a series of diseases that are spread through blood contact. The regulations are very specific regarding elements of the exposure control plan, precautions for employees, training, documentation, and handling an exposure and are contained in Part 1910.1030 of title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standard became fully effective on October 1, 1992. In 2001, in response to the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, OSHA revised the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to clarify the need for employers to select safer needle devices and to involve employees in identifying and choosing these devices. The updated standard also requires employers to maintain a log of injuries from contaminated sharps.

The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires covered employees to do the following: (1) Write an exposure control plan to determine how exposure to body fluids will be handled. Every job-related task in the school must be evaluated in light of the likelihood of exposure to blood, blood products, and other potentially infectious materials; (2) Offer free HBV vaccination to all employees who are required to come into contact with body fluids as a direct result of their responsibilities (such as school nurses and physical education instructors); (3) Train all employees in the use of universal precautions (such as hand washing and use of gloves); and (4) Develop and maintain records and procedures to document compliance with these regulations and to handle any exposure incidents that occur. Records of employees who have received vaccinations and written refusals of employees to receive vaccinations must be part of the documentation. Also, records must be kept related to training.

Further Information:

• Regional OSHA
  Website: http://www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html

• Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Program
  U.S. Department of Labor
  Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  200 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Washington D.C. 20210
  Telephone: (202) 693-2323
  Website http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html

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