['Bloodborne Pathogens']
['Bloodborne Pathogens', 'Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Incident']
07/23/2024
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The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a form of hepatitis caused by an ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus. HCV is covered under the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, and is one of six identified hepatitis viruses. The others are A, B, D, E, and G. All of these viruses cause the liver to become inflamed, interfering with its ability to purify the blood, manufacture essential nutrients, and detoxify harmful substances. Hepatitis C is generally considered to be the most serious of these viruses and is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States.
Hepatitis C is spread by direct contact with the blood of an infected person. Improperly screened blood used for transfusions, contaminated needles or medical instruments, some drug paraphernalia, and needles used for piercing or tattooing can all be sources of contamination. Although more rare, sexual transmission of hepatitis C is possible.
Persons who are chronically infected with HCV may not be aware of their infection because they may not be clinically ill. Many of those infected don’t find out that they have the disease until many years later when liver damage shows up during routine medical tests.
Scope
While most employers associate exposure to bloodborne pathogens with healthcare workers, there are many other occupations, including first-aid team members, housekeeping personnel in some industries, and various other workers who may be at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies to occupational exposure (as defined below) in general industry.
Regulatory citations
- 29 CFR 1910.1030 — Bloodborne pathogens
Key definitions
- Blood: Human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood. The term includes plasma, platelets, and serosanguineous fluids (e.g., exudates from wounds). Also included are medications derived from blood, such as immune globulins, albumin, and factors 8 and 9.
- Bloodborne pathogens: Pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. While HBV and HIV are specifically identified in the standard, the term includes any pathogenic microorganism that is present in human blood or OPIM and can infect and cause disease in persons who are exposed to blood containing the pathogen. Pathogenic microorganisms can also cause diseases such as hepatitis C, malaria, syphilis, babesiosis, brucellosis, leptospirosis, arboviral infections, relapsing fever, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (caused by HTLV-I), HTLV-I associated myelopathy, diseases associated with HTLV-II, and viral hemorrhagic fever.
- Engineering controls: Controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, and safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems) that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogens hazard from the workplace.
- Exposure incident: A specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin (which includes skin with dermatitis, hangnails, cuts, abrasions, chafing, acne, etc.), or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee’s duties.
- Hepatitis C (HCV): A form of hepatitis caused by an RNA virus. HCV is one of six identified hepatitis viruses. The others are A, B, D, E, and G. All of these viruses cause the liver to become inflamed, interfering with its ability to purify the blood, manufacture essential nutrients, and detoxify harmful substances.
- Occupational exposure: Reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM that may result from the performance of an employee’s duties. Note: This term does not include Good Samaritan acts.
- Other potentially infectious materials (OPIM):
- The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;
- Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and
- HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
- Parenteral: Piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needlesticks, human bites, cuts, and abrasions.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): Specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard. General work clothes (e.g., uniforms, pants, shirts or blouses) not intended to function as protection against a hazard are not considered to be personal protective equipment.
- Regulated waste: Liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials; contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed; items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling; contaminated sharps; and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.
- Universal precautions: An approach to infection control. According to the concept of Universal Precautions, all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens.
- Work practice controls: Controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed (e.g., prohibiting recapping of needles by a two-handed technique).
Summary of requirements
Hepatitis C falls under OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1030. In general, the standard requires covered employers to:
- Establish an exposure control plan. This is a written plan to eliminate or minimize occupational exposures. The employer must prepare an exposure determination that contains a list of job classifications in which all workers have occupational exposure and a list of job classifications in which some workers have occupational exposure, along with a list of the tasks and procedures performed by those workers that result in their exposure.
- Update the plan annually to reflect changes in tasks, procedures, and positions that affect occupational exposure, and also technological changes that eliminate or reduce occupational exposure. In addition, employers must annually document in the plan that they have considered and begun using appropriate, commercially-available effective safer medical devices designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure. Employers must also document that they have solicited input from front-line workers in identifying, evaluating, and selecting effective engineering and work practice controls.
- Implement the use of universal precautions (treating all human blood and OPIM as if known to be infectious for bloodborne pathogens).
- Identify and use engineering controls. These are devices that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogens hazard from the workplace. They include sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, and safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps-injury protection and needleless systems.
- Identify and ensure the use of work practice controls. These are practices that reduce the possibility of exposure by changing the way a task is performed, such as appropriate practices for handling and disposing of contaminated sharps, handling specimens, handling laundry, and cleaning contaminated surfaces and items.
- Provide personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, gowns, eye protection, and masks. Employers must clean, repair, and replace this equipment as needed. Provision, maintenance, repair and replacement are at no cost to the worker.
- Make available hepatitis B vaccinations to all workers with occupational exposure. This vaccination must be offered after the worker has received the required bloodborne pathogens training and within 10 days of initial assignment to a job with occupational exposure.
- Make available post-exposure evaluation and follow-up to any occupationally exposed worker who experiences an exposure incident. An exposure incident is a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM. This evaluation and follow-up must be at no cost to the worker and includes documenting the route(s) of exposure and the circumstances under which the exposure incident occurred; identifying and testing the source individual for HBV and HIV infectivity, if the source individual consents or the law does not require consent; collecting and testing the exposed worker’s blood, if the worker consents; offering post-exposure prophylaxis; offering counseling; and evaluating reported illnesses. The healthcare professional will provide a limited written opinion to the employer and all diagnoses must remain confidential.
- Use labels and signs to communicate hazards. Warning labels must be affixed to containers of regulated waste; containers of contaminated reusable sharps; refrigerators and freezers containing blood or OPIM; other containers used to store, transport, or ship blood or OPIM; contaminated equipment that is being shipped or serviced; and bags or containers of contaminated laundry, except as provided in the standard. Facilities may use red bags or red containers instead of labels. In HIV and HBV research laboratories and production facilities, signs must be posted at all access doors when OPIM or infected animals are present in the work area or containment module.
- Provide information and training to workers. Employers must ensure that their workers receive regular training that covers all elements of the standard including, but not limited to: information on bloodborne pathogens and diseases, methods used to control occupational exposure, hepatitis B vaccine, and medical evaluation and post-exposure follow-up procedures. Employers must offer this training on initial assignment, at least annually thereafter, and when new or modified tasks or procedures affect a worker’s occupational exposure. Also, HIV and HBV laboratory and production facility workers must receive specialized initial training, in addition to the training provided to all workers with occupational exposure. Workers must have the opportunity to ask the trainer questions. Also, training must be presented at an educational level and in a language that workers understand.
- Maintain worker medical and training records, and if not paritally exempted by 29 CFR 1904, also keep a sharps injury log.
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Copyright 2025 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.