...
Hepatitis B (HBV) is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. The hepatitis B virus is a unique, coated DNA virus belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family. It is not related to either the hepatitis A or hepatitis C viruses.
Hepatitis B is spread by direct contact with the blood or certain other body fluids of an infected person. Contaminated needles or medical instruments, some drug paraphernalia, and needles used for piercing or tattooing can all be sources of contamination. HBV can be passed by vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse. Hepatitis B is not spread through sneezing, coughing, kissing, hugging, food or water, or by casual contact.
When a person is first infected with the hepatitis B virus, this is called an “acute infection.” Most adults will fight off the virus and recover without any problems. If the virus remains in the blood for more than six months, a person is then diagnosed as having a “chronic infection,” or “chronic hepatitis B.”
Symptoms of acute HBV infection usually appear within 2 to 6 weeks after exposure, if they appear at all. Many adults never develop symptoms at all; however, the virus can damage the liver and be spread to others even if the infected person has no signs or symptoms. Sometimes a blood test is the only way to find out for sure. Symptoms can include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Lack of appetite
- General malaise
- Jaundice
- Joint pain
- Dark, tea-colored urine
Even if no symptoms are evident, those infected with hepatitis B can pass the virus to others. Chronic carriers carry the virus for the rest of their lives. Those with chronic infection but who do not exhibit any symptoms are referred to as carriers.
Treatment of hepatitis focuses on treating the symptoms, inflammation, and infectivity. Acute hepatitis requires careful monitoring of liver function, as liver functioning can be degraded in some cases to the point of requiring a liver transplant.
Post-exposure treatments for hepatitis B include an injection of hepatitis B immune globulin within the first 24 hours of contact. There is also a series of three post-exposure inoculations available.
Scope
The Hepatitis B virus is considered one of many “bloodborne pathogens.” 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.
- 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
In general, the Bloodborne Pathogens 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 partially exempted under 29 CFR 1904, also keep a sharps injury log.