Bloodborne Pathogens

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Bloodborne Pathogens
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Epidemiology Symptoms of Bloodborne Diseases

• Bloodborne pathogens
• Microorganisms present in human blood that cause
  disease
• Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

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Epidemiology Symptoms of Bloodborne Diseases

• Bloodborne pathogens
• Exposure incident
• Contact with blood or other potentially
  infectious material
• Eyes
• Mouth
• Mucous membrane
• Non-intact skin
• Parenteral piercing of skin or mucous
  membranes

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Epidemiology Symptoms of Bloodborne Diseases

• Bloodborne pathogens
• Occupational exposure - results from doing ones
  job
• Potentially infectious materials
• Blood
• Urine, vomit, or other body fluids
• Especially when blood is present

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Contracting a Disease

• Workplace situation
• First aid response
• Cleaning up blood at an accident scene

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Exposure Control Plan

• Written policy that addresses
• Identification of job classifications or tasks
  where exposure exists

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Exposure Control Plan

• Elements continued
• Employee training
• Hepatitis B vaccination
• Post-exposure evaluation and follow-up
• Recordkeeping

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Exposure Control Plan

• Written program continued
• Engineering and work practice controls
• Personal protective equipment
• Housekeeping
• Review policy annually

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Recognize Potential Exposures

• First aid situations - follow universal
  precautions
• Other workplace situations

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Personal Protective Equipment

• Best defense against unexpected hazards
• Must be clean and in good repair

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Personal Protective Equipment

• PPE must prevent infectious matter from passing
  through to
• Street clothes
• Eyes
• Skin
• Mouth
• Hypoallergenic or powderless gloves must be made
  available

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Personal Protective Equipment

• Limitations of PPE, and consequences of non-use
• Single-use gloves must be replaced if
  contaminated, torn, punctured
• Never reuse single-use gloves
• Sharps glass, metal, etc.

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Hand Washing Facilities

• Procedures
• Wash hands after removing gloves
• Wash hands after contact with blood or
  potentially infectious fluids
• Use antiseptic cleansers if sinks are
  unavailable, then wash as soon as possible

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Signs and Labels to Warn of Biohazards

• Biohazard symbol must
• Be printed in fluorescent orange or orange-red
• Have lettering of a contrasting color
• Red bags or containers may be used as a
  substitute for labels

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Hepatitis B Vaccine

• Available free of charge
• For employees who have risk of occupational
  exposure
• After an employee has experienced occupational
  exposure to blood or other potentially
  infectious materials

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Exposure Incident Response

• Arrange for immediate, confidential medical
  evaluation, which
• Documents how the exposure occurred
• Identifies and tests the source individual, if
  possible
• Tests the exposed employees blood, if consent is
  obtained

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Medical Records

• Must be made available to employees upon request,
  and should include
• Copy of healthcare professionals opinion
• Copy of information provided to healthcare
  professional

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Medical Records

• All records are confidential
• Records cannot be released without employees
  written consent, or if required by law
• Must be maintained for the period of employment
  plus 30 years

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Employee Exposure Records

• Employees also have a right to access records
  such as
• Air monitoring results
• Noise level studies
• Relevant medical records respirator
  physicals/medical questionnaires, etc.

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Additional Recordkeeping

• Training records must be kept for three years
• Training records must include
• Training dates
• Contents of the training
• Name and qualifications of trainer
• Name of job titles of trainee