Biohazard Safety

Biohazards are materials or human waste Remember this:

that cause infections or disease. If you work  Avoid direct contact with sewage.
in areas with wastewater, medical waste,  Wash your hands well to prevent spreading
or live sewer lines, for example, you contaminants.
should assume that all surfaces are  Clean, treat, and report any cuts or wounds
contaminated. right away. They could be infected.
 Use liquid-proof gloves, boots, and face
Alberto’s Story protection when you will have direct contact
Alberto was repairing a sewer line. He was with sewage. Use a face shield if there might
not wearing waterproof gloves and some of be splashing.
the sewage got on his hands. A few days later,  Keep contaminated gloves, boots, face
he noticed a cut on his hand that was red and protection, and other equipment away from
sore. He went to the doctor and learned that areas where food is eaten or stored.
he had a serious infection probably caused  For pipeline and other inspections, use
by the raw sewage. remote-controlled robotic cameras to
minimize human exposure.
 What should Alberto have done to
 Remove contaminated clothing at the site, if
protect himself from the possible. A full decontamination process at
contaminants? the site may be necessary.
 Have you experienced an incident  Wash clothing at a high temperature (at least
with raw sewage or potentially 160ºF) to destroy all germs.
infectious material? If so, what
happened?

How can we stay safe today?

What will we do at the worksite to prevent illnesses from biohazards?

1.

2.

OSHA Regulation: 1926.28

©2017, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of
this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The
contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.
 Biohazard Safety

 Avoid direct contact with sewage. Use liquid-proof gloves, boots, and face protection if you
will have direct contact with raw sewage. Use a face shield if you might get splashed.
 Wash your hands well to prevent spreading contaminants. Clean, treat, and report any cuts or
wounds immediately, because they could be infected.
 Keep contaminated gloves, boots, face protection, and other equipment away from
areas where food is eaten or stored.

©2017, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of
this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The
contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.