OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

Most of us have heard about it, and a few of us have probably been trained on it annually for at least the last 10 years, but what is this Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (BBP) really all about?

In 1991 OSHA issued -- and in 2001 it updated -- the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) in an effort to protect workers from exposures to bloodborne pathogens and needlesticks. A bloodborne pathogen is defined in the standard as pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Universal precautions are the backbone of this standard, and that means treating all blood or bodily fluids as if they are known to be infectious for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and other bloodborne pathogens. Applying this approach to infection control will ultimately reduce your chance of exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

OSHA states that employees who have reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of the employee's duties ("occupational exposure") are at risk of infection by bloodborne pathogens. If you have employees at your facility that meet these criteria then this standard applies to you. All employers with personnel who are at risk of potential exposure to BBP must make an exposure determination, in writing in their Exposure Control Plan, to list all job classifications and tasks that have the potential for BBP exposure.

Some requirements for complying with the standard, in addition to the written Exposure Control Plan, include:

• a safer sharps program;
• a hepatitis B vaccination program available to all potentially exposed employees;
• a needlestick injury log; and
• a training program that includes initial and annual training.

Compliance audits, Training, Program Initiation and Maintenance for the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard are some of the many services offered by Safety Partners, Inc.

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Safety Partners efficiently and cost-effectively implements hands-on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at emerging life sciences companies. Safety Partners tailors its programs to each client's unique science, processes, procedures, and facilities, while reducing program implementation burdens. Its expertise is unmatched, clocking over 85,000 hours at over 120 New England life sciences firms.