19 terms
OSHA Q&A Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
Hepatitis B
A liver disease caused by the HBV. Formerly called serum hepatitis is life threatening and a major risk to employees in jobs where there is exposure to blood and OPIM. Can be caused by drugs, toxins, automimmune disease, and infections agents.
Hepatitis C
A liver disease caused by HCV. Most common chronic bloodborne infection in the US and is primarily transmitted through large or repeated direct percutaneous exposrues to blood. Most people who are chronically infected are not aware of their infection because they are not clinically ill.
Bloodborne pathogens
Microgorganisms that can cause disease when transmitted from an infected individual to another individual through blood and certain body fluids. Capable of causing serious illness and death.
Hepatitis C
What is the most commone chronic bloodbonre infection in the US?
All people who are occupationally exposed to blood or OPIM
Who is covered by the bloodborne pathogens standard/
Physicians, physician assistants, nurses, health care employees, clinical and diagnotist laboratory employees, workers in hospital laundries or commercial laundries that serve health care or public safety institutions, tissue bank personnel, employees of blood banks & plasma centers , Dentists, hemodialyssi clinics, urgent-care clinics, education and correctional facilities, first aid employees, hospice employees, home health care workders. HIV & HBV research lab, EMT, paramedics, firefighters, law enforcement
What are some specific occupations covered by the standard?
The standard requires emplyoers to evaluate each job task and procedure to determine which employees may be expected to be occupationally exposed to bloood or to OPIM. Detrmination is made w/o regard to the use of PPE
How do employers determine if their employees are included in the scope of the standard?
Collateral duty clause, in which Hep B vaccine would need to be offered until an incident involving the presence of blood or OPIM occurs.
If I have employees who may rarely come into contact with blood or OPIM, do all of the rules still apply?
*Reporting procedures must be in place under your organization's exposure control plan to ensure that all incidents involving blood or OPIM are reported before the end of the work shift during which the incident occured.
* Incidents must include names of all involved employees, description of circumstances of the incident, including the date an time; and a determination of whether an exposure incident, as defined by the standard, has occured.
*Exposure reports must be included on a list of such incidents, readily available to all employees, and provided to Oregon OSHA upon request.
*Specifics of the reporting procedure must be included in the bloodborne pathogens training
*All employees who are involved in any situation involving the presence of blood or OPIM, regardless of whether a specific exposure incident occurs, must be offered the full hepatitis B vaccination series as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the incident.
* Bloodborne pathogens training must be provided to all affected employees
*Appropriate PPE, cleanup materials, and equipment must be provided
* Incidents must include names of all involved employees, description of circumstances of the incident, including the date an time; and a determination of whether an exposure incident, as defined by the standard, has occured.
*Exposure reports must be included on a list of such incidents, readily available to all employees, and provided to Oregon OSHA upon request.
*Specifics of the reporting procedure must be included in the bloodborne pathogens training
*All employees who are involved in any situation involving the presence of blood or OPIM, regardless of whether a specific exposure incident occurs, must be offered the full hepatitis B vaccination series as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the incident.
* Bloodborne pathogens training must be provided to all affected employees
*Appropriate PPE, cleanup materials, and equipment must be provided
In order for an employer to qualify under the collateral duty clause, the following conditions must be met:
No, they are not covered under the standard.
Are Good Samaritan acts considered occupational exposure?
Yes, such employees whose job it is to clean the OPIM or blood up are covered under the standard.
Do cleanup activities of blood or OPIM constitute occupational exposure?
Employees in the lodging industry are covered under the standard if there is a reasonable expectation that occupational exposures to blood or OPIM will occur in the performance of their job duties.
Are motel/hotel housekeepers included in the scope of the rules?
Yes in situations where there is reasonable expectation that exposure to blood or OPIM may occur.
Are janitorial services covered by the standard?
Chiropractors with no paid employees and no worker's compensation coverage are not covered by the standard. If chiropractors themselves who are covered by workers' compensation perform procedures for which there is reasonalble anticipation of exposure to blood or OPIM, they fall under the scope of the standard. Chiropractors & their employees who do not have a reasonable expectation to be exposed to blood or OPIM in performance of their duties do not fall under the standard.
Are chiropractors who may perform invasive procedrues involving blood covere by the standard?
Because ABC maintains a continuing relationship with the emplyees, but another employer creates and controsl the hazards, there is a shared resosnbility to comple with the standard. ABC is requried to provide generic training in Universal precatuions, ensure that employees are provided with required vaccinatinos, and ensure that proper follow-up evalutation is provided after any expsure incident. The client is responsible for providing site-specified training and PEP and for controlling potential exposure incidents.
ABC Healthcare Employment AGency has a large personnel pool providing hospital staffing and private-dutey dursing services. The emplyees are on ABC's payroll. Who is responsible, the employment agency or the client?
Yes. The blood borne pathogen standard appleis to all employers at worksites where there is reasonably anticipates skin, eye, mucous membrane, or other parenteral contact with blood or OPIM that may result from the perforamnce of an employee's duties. It is the employers responsiblity to determine which job classificatiosn or specific tasks and procedrues involve occupational exposure.
Are construction, maritime, and agricultural industries covered by bloodborne pathogen standard?
Yes if it s part of their specific job duties.
Are first-aid-trained employees covered by the standard?
Yes, provided that the cab, compartment, or operator have not been contaminated with blood or OPIM.
Can ambulance drivers or helicopter pilots eat w hile transporting a patient or human body parts or organs?
When there is visible blood. Nasal secretions and tears that have visible blood are also defined as OPIM
When is urine or feces covered as "other potentially infections material"?