Description

Bloodborne Pathogens Workplace Safety Poster

Help employees understand bloodborne pathogen hazards and reinforce safe work practices with the Bloodborne Pathogens Workplace Safety Poster. This 18 x 24-inch workplace safety poster provides employees with a visual reference covering exposure incidents, sharps safety, personal protective equipment, hepatitis B vaccination, contamination control, and other important bloodborne pathogen safety topics.

Employees who have occupational exposure to human blood or other potentially infectious materials can be at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Proper training, engineering controls, work practices, personal protective equipment, and established exposure-response procedures are important components of workplace protection.

What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms present in human blood that can cause disease in people. Examples include hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Workers can potentially be exposed through needlesticks, contaminated sharps, contact with broken skin, or contact between blood or other potentially infectious materials and the eyes, nose, mouth, or other mucous membranes.

Who May Be Exposed to Bloodborne Pathogens?

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies to employees who have occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials as a result of performing their job duties.

Depending on their duties, potentially exposed workers may include:

Healthcare employees
Nurses and other patient-care personnel
Emergency medical personnel and first responders
Laboratory employees
Dental employees
Housekeeping and environmental-service employees in certain workplaces
Employees responsible for handling contaminated waste or laundry
Other workers with reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or potentially infectious materials

OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

OSHA addresses occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens under 29 CFR 1910.1030. Employers with employees who have occupational exposure must comply with applicable requirements designed to eliminate or minimize employee exposure.

Depending on the workplace and employee exposure, OSHA requirements can include:

A written Exposure Control Plan
Exposure determination
Universal precautions
Engineering and work practice controls
Personal protective equipment
Housekeeping and contamination-control procedures
Hepatitis B vaccination
Post-exposure evaluation and follow-up
Employee information and training
Hazard communication
Applicable recordkeeping

What Is an Exposure Control Plan?

Employers with employees who have occupational exposure must establish a written Exposure Control Plan designed to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

The plan must identify applicable employee exposures and describe how the employer will implement required protective measures. OSHA requires the Exposure Control Plan to be reviewed and updated at least annually and whenever necessary to reflect new or modified tasks, procedures, or employee positions that affect occupational exposure.

What Are Universal Precautions?

Universal precautions are an approach to infection control under which all human blood and certain other potentially infectious materials are treated as though they are known to be infectious for bloodborne pathogens.

Employees with occupational exposure should follow their employer's established procedures and use required engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment whenever they may encounter blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Protect Employees When Handling Needles and Sharps

Needlesticks and injuries involving contaminated sharps can expose employees to bloodborne pathogens. Employers should use appropriate engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or minimize employee exposure.

Employees should follow established procedures for handling and disposing of contaminated needles and other sharps. Contaminated disposable sharps should be placed in appropriate sharps containers as soon as feasible after use.

Employees should never attempt to handle contaminated sharps in a manner that conflicts with workplace procedures or applicable OSHA requirements.

Personal Protective Equipment for Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure

When occupational exposure remains after engineering and work practice controls are implemented, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be used.

Depending on the task and expected exposure, PPE may include:

Gloves
Gowns
Laboratory coats
Face shields
Masks
Eye protection
Other protective clothing or equipment necessary to prevent occupational exposure

Employees should understand how to properly use, remove, handle, decontaminate, and dispose of applicable protective equipment.

Handwashing and Contamination Control

OSHA requires employers covered by the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to provide readily accessible handwashing facilities. Employees must wash their hands immediately or as soon as feasible after removing gloves or other personal protective equipment.

Employees should also follow established workplace procedures for cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work surfaces and for properly handling contaminated materials and regulated waste.

Hepatitis B Vaccination

For employees covered by OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, employers must make the hepatitis B vaccination series available to eligible employees with occupational exposure in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1030.

OSHA requires the vaccination to be made available at no cost to the employee after required training and within the timeframe established by the standard, unless an applicable exception applies.

What Should an Employee Do After an Exposure Incident?

Employees should immediately follow their employer's established procedures whenever an exposure incident occurs. An exposure incident may involve specific contact of the eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials resulting from an employee's duties.

Employees should promptly report an exposure incident so the employer can initiate the required confidential medical evaluation and follow-up.

Post-exposure procedures may include documenting how the exposure occurred, identifying and evaluating the source individual when applicable and legally permitted, appropriate blood testing, medical evaluation, counseling, and other follow-up required under OSHA's standard.

Bloodborne Pathogens Employee Training

OSHA requires employers to provide training to employees with occupational exposure. Training must be provided at no cost to the employee and during working hours.

Training is required at the time of initial assignment to tasks where occupational exposure may occur and at least annually thereafter. Additional training must also be provided when changes in tasks or procedures create new occupational exposures.

Bloodborne pathogens training must address topics such as transmission, recognizing exposure hazards, the employer's Exposure Control Plan, methods for reducing exposure, PPE, hepatitis B vaccination, emergency actions, exposure-incident reporting, post-exposure follow-up, and applicable signs and labels.

Where Can a Bloodborne Pathogens Poster Be Displayed?

The Bloodborne Pathogens Workplace Safety Poster can help reinforce employee safety awareness in workplaces such as:

Hospitals and healthcare facilities
Medical and dental offices
Laboratories
Emergency medical service facilities
Schools and educational facilities
First aid stations
Housekeeping and environmental-service departments
Employee safety and training areas
Other workplaces with occupational exposure to blood or potentially infectious materials

Is a Bloodborne Pathogens Poster Required by OSHA?

OSHA requires employers with covered occupational exposure to comply with the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, including applicable requirements for an Exposure Control Plan, employee training, engineering and work practice controls, personal protective equipment, hepatitis B vaccination, and post-exposure evaluation and follow-up.

However, this particular Bloodborne Pathogens Workplace Safety Poster is intended as a supplemental employee training and safety-awareness resource and should not be represented as a substitute for OSHA-required bloodborne pathogens training or an employer's written Exposure Control Plan.

This poster does not replace required employee training, engineering controls, safe work practices, PPE, hepatitis B vaccination requirements, exposure-response procedures, medical follow-up, recordkeeping, or other applicable requirements under 29 CFR 1910.1030.