Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazard

Communications Training

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 Bloodborne Diseases

OSHA requires special training for employees that are

potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens.
OSHA also requires that employees be trained on
the proper use of personal protective equipment
(PPE) so they are able to protect themselves during
at-risk procedures. Once training has been
performed and protective equipment is provided
to the employee, they are responsible for
protecting themselves from exposure

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 Bloodborne Diseases
Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or
bacteria that are carried in blood and can cause disease in people.
There are many different bloodborne pathogens including malaria,
syphilis, and brucellosis, but Hepatitis B (HBV), and the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are the diseases specifically
addressed by the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and
covered in this training module.

While this module will focus primarily on HBV and HIV, it is

important to know which bloodborne pathogens you may be
exposed to at work.

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 Modes of Transmission

Bloodborne pathogens such as HBV and HIV

can be transmitted through contact with
infected human blood and other potentially
infected body fluids (i.e. semen, vaginal
fluids, saliva, and any other body fluid).

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 Modes of Transmission
Bloodborne Pathogens can be transmitted through open sores, cuts, and other
skin damages.

Bloodborne pathogens may also be transmitted through the mucous membranes

of the:

•Eyes
•Nose
•Mouth

For example, a splash of contaminated blood to your eye, nose, or mouth could
result in transmission.

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 Modes of Transmission

Potential Risk – Within the Clinical Setting

 Medical and Dental Care
 Handling Blood/Body Fluid samples
 Cleaning Exam Rooms/Spills
 Sharp item punctures

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 Modes of Transmission
Potential Risk – Clinic and General Population Settings:

 Sexual Contact
 Sharing of hypodermic needles
 From mothers to their babies at/before birth
 Accidental puncture from contaminated needles, broken glass, or
other sharps
 Contact between broken or damaged skin and infected body
fluids
 Contact between mucous membranes and infected body fluids

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Bloodborne Pathogens: Hepatitis B

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 Hepatitis B (HBV)

"Hepatitis" means "inflammation of the liver,"

and, as its name implies, Hepatitis B is a
virus that infects the liver. While there are
several different types of Hepatitis, Hepatitis
B is transmitted primarily through "blood to
blood" contact. Hepatitis B initially causes
inflammation of the liver, but it can lead to
more serious conditions such as cirrhosis and
liver cancer.

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 Hepatitis B (HBV)

There is no "cure" or specific treatment for HBV, but

many people who contract the disease will develop
antibodies which help them get over the infection
and protect them from getting it again. It is important
to note, however, that there are different kinds of
hepatitis, so infection with HBV will not stop
someone from getting another type.

Hepatitis B is transmitted to healthcare workers

via blood and body fluids of infected patients.

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 Hepatits B Virus Protection

Any employee who performs tasks involving

contact with blood, blood-contaminated body
fluids other body fluids, or sharps will be
offered vaccination against hepatitis B by PHS
at no cost.

If an employee refuses vaccination, they must

sign a Hepatitis B Declination Statement.

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 Bloodborne Pathogens:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV)

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 HIV Transmission and Protection

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is not as

contagious or as harmful as hepatitis B is in
the healthcare setting. HIV is the name of the
virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune
deficiency syndrome). There is no vaccine
for protection from HIV infection and no
means of cure for AIDS. HIV is transmitted
through blood and body fluids, so many
healthcare workers are at risk of exposure in
their daily routine.

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 Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV)
OSHA requires employees to practice
Universal Precautions in all healthcare
settings where exposure to blood and other
potentially infectious materials may take
place in order to reduce the chance of
infection transmission.

Universal Precautions:
All specimens including blood and human body
fluids are treated as if they are infected.
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 Reducing Your Risk for Infection

 Regular handwashing and the use of

disinfectants can reduce the risk of infection.

 Use gloves, masks and gowns to protect

yourself when directed.

 Place sharps and needles into designated

containers and avoid recapping needles.

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Piedmont Exposure Control Plan
(ECP)

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 ECP- Location

A copy of the OSHA bloodborne

pathogen standard can be found:
www.osha.gov

A copy of the OSHA bloodborne

pathogen standard can also be found
in the Infection Control Manual.
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Piedmont Health Exposure Control Plan

All employees including part-time, temporary,

contract and per diem workers who are
determined to have occupational exposure to
blood or other potentially infectious material
(OPIM) must comply with the procedures and
work practices outlined in this ECP.

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 Piedmont Health Exposure Control Plan
 The PHS Safety Committee will maintain, review and update the ECP at least
annually, and whenever necessary to include new or modified tasks or
procedures.

 The Nurse Manager at each PHS clinical facility will be responsible for the
Exposure Control program at his/her center. The NM will maintain PHS-provided
personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering controls (e.g., sharps
containers), labels, and red bags as required by the standard.

 The Nurse Manager at each PHS clinical facility will ensure that adequate
supplies of the aforementioned equipment are available in the appropriate sizes.

 The Employee Health Provider at each PHS clinical facility will be responsible
for ensuring that all medical actions required are performed and that appropriate
employee health and OSHA records are maintained.

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 Methods for Assuring Safe Practice
(Engineering Controls)
Engineering controls and work practice controls are used to
prevent or minimize exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
Effective engineering controls include safer medical
devices used to prevent injuries before, during or after
use through safer design features.
The specific engineering controls and work practice controls
used in this facility are listed below:

 Safety syringes
 Safety devices
 Sharps disposal containers
 Needleless systems
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 Engineering Controls and Work
Practices
This facility identifies the need for changes in engineering
control and work practices through:
 Review of OSHA standards and Joint Commission
regulations
 Employee feedback

 Meetings of the PHS Safety Committee

 Yearly safety needle/device review

The Nurse Manager at each clinical facility will ensure

effective implementation of any recommendations.

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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The standard PPE for PHS is gloves. PHS will provide a variety
of gloves to suit the needs of the employees.

Other PPE will be available:

Gowns
Masks
Shoe Covers
Face shield
Aprons
Eye wear (goggles)

Laboratory coats, if worn, would be part of a uniform, and as such, not

considered PPE. This excludes the dental department.

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 PPE

PHS provides protective equipment for staff to

use wherever a reasonably likely risk of
exposure to blood or other potentially
infectious material exist. If an employee feels
more protection should be provided for
certain procedures, they should make this
request to their supervisor.

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 Failure to Use PPE

Failure to use PPE, or the improper use of

PPE, such as wearing the wrong size glove,
is citable by OSHA.

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 Glove Usage

 Gloves must be used when there is

reasonable anticipation of hand contact with
blood, other potentially infectious material
(OPIM), or mucous membranes.

 Reusable heavy utility gloves should be used

during housekeeping and cleaning involving
body fluids and decontamination procedures.

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 Protective Eye Wear, Masks, and
Goggles

Masks and goggles, or a chin length face shield are

required when contamination of the eyes, nose or
mouth are reasonably likely to occur from splashing,
misting or any other means. They are not required for
routine protection.

Glasses can be worn in lieu of goggles if they furnish

adequate protection from all angles of exposure.

The N-95 mask is wore to prevent exposure to any

airborne diseases. It must not be worn unless
properly fit tested.
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 Gowns, Head Coverings, and Shoes

 Gowns are worn to protect street clothing and to protect the arm and neck
areas from contamination. Gowns are changed daily or until they become
soiled or wet. Gowns and aprons are required only when splashes of body
fluids onto skin or clothing are “reasonably likely” to occur. Employees must
wear suitable protective clothing when splashing, misting or aerosolization
of blood or body fluids is possible.

 Laboratory coats, if worn, are part of a uniform, and as such, are not
considered PPE.

 Head coverings are worn whenever there is a potential for splashing or

aerosolization of chemicals to occur. Head coverings should cover the hair,
ears and parts of the neck and face.

SHOES
 PHS recommends avoiding open-toed shoes in clinical/OPIM areas

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 Resuscitation Equipment

 Resuscitation devices including masks, mouthpieces,

resuscitation bags, shields/overlay bafflers and/or
other respiratory equipment are available. These
minimize exposure to body fluids in case of
emergency mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

 Employees must be able to demonstrate knowledge of

and proper use of resuscitation devices.

 The resuscitation devices can be found on the

code cart in each facility.

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 Protective Clothing Disposal

 Aprons/disposable gowns should be rolled off

the body to minimize potential exposure while
taking off this PPE.
 All PPE provided by PHS is disposable and
should be disposed of as soon as the task
involving potential exposure is completed.
 Handwashing should occur immediately
following disposal of PPE.

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Signs, Labels & Color Coding

Labels should display this universal

biohazard symbol.

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Post-Exposure Evaluation and
Follow-Up

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 Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure

An exposure incident occurs when an employee is exposed to blood

or OPIM through a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non
intact skin or parenteral) contact that results from the performance of
An employee’s duties.

Should this happen, the employee MUST:

 Wash the exposed area with soap and running water

 Stimulate blood flow
 Report the incident to their Employee Health Provider at once

Employee must report to the on-site employee health provider OR

on-site Lead Provider immediately.

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 Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure

 An immediately available confidential

medical evaluation and follow-up will be
conducted by: the Employee Health
Provider designee at each site.

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Hazardous Communication Standard
 Hazardous Communication involves safe handling of chemicals to
prevent occupational exposure to dangerous chemicals.
 Know what chemicals are in your work environment. Per OSHA
regulation, PHS lists of all hazardous chemicals used in the
workplace. The Hazardous Chemicals list is updated annually.
 Examples of chemicals in PHS clinical areas are: Oxygen, Liquid
Nitrogen, Hydrogen Peroxide, Formalin.
 Examples of chemicals in the dental area are: Cavicide disinfectant
and Etch Gel (phosphoric acid).
 Hazardous cleaning chemicals in janitorial are any cleaning supply
labeled industrial strength, not for household use.
 Any hazardous chemical may cause harm if handled improperly.

*Note: PHS has eliminated all mercury from any site. You should report
any if seen to your supervisor.

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Material Safety Data Sheets
 Chemical manufacturers produce Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) sheets for all chemicals.
 PHS has readily available (on-line) the MSDS sheet of each
hazardous chemical, in case of a chemical exposure or spill.
 MSDS sheets contain information about the chemical, which
body parts it affects, what to do if exposed, such as ingested or if
enters the eye, severity of hazard and type of hazard, such as
whether flammable.
 Employees must know where the MSDS sheets are for their site.
 Currently, PHS is transitioning to a service called MSDS On-line.
The icon for this web-site is found on all computer desktops.
MSDS On-line lists all hazardous chemicals used at PHS and
can be easily searched to find any chemical used.
 MSDS On-Line also faxes any MSDS sheet whenever requested
by calling 1-888-362-7416, as another efficient way to access the
sheets. This phone number is posted on telephones in the
clinical areas.

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Hazardous Material Labels

All hazardous chemicals must have a hazard label

clearly identifying the container.
 At PHS, individual sized containers are

recommended rather than buying in bulk and

transferring to smaller containers – this reduces risk
of transfer to unlabeled containers.
 Keep chemicals in their original container, never in

an unlabeled container.

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Spill Kits and Eyewash Station
Each location has a spill kit* available for use to clean up hazardous
spills. Consult the MSDS sheet for proper chemical clean up.
The spill kit contains the following:
 container labeled “Spill Kit”
 utility gloves
 paper towels
 cat litter
 scooper
*There is a separate special spill kit for Formalin clean-up used in the clinical
area.

Eyewash stations are available at all sites for exposure incidents

involving the eyes. They will irrigate for a standard 15 minutes.
Make sure you know where the nearest eyewash station is to your
workstation.

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Exposure Control Quiz

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 Printed Name:___________________________ Date: _________

1. Bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted through needlestick,

cuts, splashes, and sprays.
1. True
2. False
2. What method of cleansing hands can be used in lieu of soap and
water if hands are not visibly soiled?

3. When should the sharps container be replaced?

1. 25% full
2. 50% full
3. 75% full
4. 100% full

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 Printed Name:___________________________ Date: _________

4. What should you use to clean up biohazard spills:

5. When should gloves be wore?

4. Who does PHS offer a free Hepatitis B vaccine to?

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 Printed Name:___________________________ Date: _________

7. Bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted through needlestick, I

can wear an N95 mask without being trained or fitted?
1. True
2. False
8. What should you do if an exposure occurs, such as needlestick?

9. What is the main PPE for Piedmont Health Services?

10. What is an MSDS sheet used for?

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 Printed Name:___________________________ Date: _________

Please bring your completed quiz to new employee orientation.

You will also be required to locate the following items at your site:
__Eye wash station
__Infection Control Manual
__MSDS Sheets (access MSDS On-line)
__Sharps Containers
__Biohazard Waste Storage
__PPE Storage
__Spill Kit

Thank you.

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