The Arsenal Files 4/The Arsenal Files 4 (Arsenal Computer).ISO/health/osha.46

Text File | 1995-01-22 | 11KB | 192 lines

INFORMATION DATE  19920805
DESCRIPTION       USDOL Program Highlights on Bloodborne Pathogens
TOPIC             Bloodborne Pathogens
SUBJECT           Bloodborne Pathogens Final Standard
ABSTRACT          Bloodborne Pathogens final standard limits
                  occupational exposure to blood and other potentially
                  infectious materials since any exposure could result
                  in transmission of bloodborne pathogens which could
                  lead to disease or death. It covers all employees who
                  could be "reasonably anticipated" as the result of
                  performing their job duties to face contact with blood
                  and other potentially infectious materials. "Good
                  Samaritan" acts such as assisting a co-worker with a
                  nosebleed would not be considered occupational
                  exposure. Infectious materials include semen, vaginal
                  secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid,
                  pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid,
                  amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body
                  fluid visibly contaminated with blood and all body
                  fluids in situations where it is difficult or
                  impossible to differentiate between body fluids. They
                  also include any unfixed tissue or organ other than
                  intact skin from a human (living or dead), human
                  immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-containing cell or tissue
                  cultures, organ cultures and HIV or hepatitis B
                  (HBV)-containing culture medium or other solutions as
                  well as blood, organs or other tissues from
                  experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.



U.S. Department of Labor
Program Highlight
_________________________________________________________________________
Fact Sheet No. OSHA 92-46

     Bloodborne Pathogens Final Standard:  Summary of Key Provisions

PURPOSE:  Limits occupational exposure to blood and other potentially
infectious materials since any exposure could result in transmission of
bloodborne pathogens which could lead to disease or death.

SCOPE:  Covers all employees who could be "reasonably anticipated"  as
the result of performing their job duties to face contact with blood and
other potentially infectious materials.  OSHA has not attempted to list
all occupations where exposures could occur.  "Good Samaritan" acts such
as assisting a co-worker with a nosebleed would not be considered
occupational exposure.

     Infectious materials include semen, vaginal secretions,
cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid,
peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body
fluid visibly contaminated with blood and all body fluids in situations
where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids.
They also include any unfixed tissue or organ other than intact skin from
a human (living or dead), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-
containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures and HIV or hepatitis B
(HBV)-containing culture medium or other solutions as well as blood,
organs or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or
HBV.

EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN:  Requires employers to identify, in writing, tasks
and procedures as well as job classifications where occupational exposure
to blood occurs--without regard to personal protective clothing and
equipment.  It must also set forth the schedule for implementing other
provisions of the standard and specify the procedure for evaluating
circumstances surrounding exposure incidents.  The plan must be
accessible to employees and available to OSHA.  Employers must review and
update it at least annually--more often if necessary to accommodate
workplace changes.

METHODS OF COMPLIANCE:  Mandates universal precautions, (treating body
fluids/materials as if infectious)  emphasizing engineering and work
practice controls.  The standard stresses handwashing and requires
employers to provide facilities and ensure that employees use them
following exposure to blood.  It sets forth procedures to minimize
needlesticks, minimize splashing and spraying of blood, ensure
appropriate packaging of specimens and regulated wastes and decontaminate
equipment or label it as contaminated before shipping to servicing
facilities.

     Employers must provide, at no cost, and require employees to use
appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks,
mouthpieces and resuscitation bags and must clean, repair and replace
these when necessary.  Gloves are not necessarily required for routine
phlebotomies in volunteer blood donation centers but must be made
available to employees who want them.

     The standard requires a written schedule for cleaning, identifying
the method of decontamination to be used, in addition to cleaning
following contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.
It specifies methods for disposing of contaminated sharps and sets forth
standards for containers for these items and other regulated waste.
Further, the standard includes provisions for handling contaminated
laundry to minimize exposures.

HIV AND HBV RESEARCH LABORATORIES AND PRODUCTION FACILITIES:  Calls for
these facilities to follow standard microbiological practices and
specifies additional practices intended to minimize exposures of
employees working with concentrated viruses and reduce the risk of
accidental exposure for other employees at the facility.  These
facilities must include required containment equipment and an autoclave
for decontamination of regulated waste and must be constructed to limit
risks and enable easy clean up.  Additional training and experience
requirements apply to workers in these facilities.

HEPATITIS B VACCINATION:  Requires vaccinations to be made available to
all employees who have occupational exposure to blood within 10 working
days of assignment, at no cost, at a reasonable time and place, under the
supervision of licensed physician/licensed healthcare professional and
according to the latest recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Service
(USPHS).  Prescreening may not be required as a condition of receiving
the vaccine.  Employees must sign a declination form if they choose not
to be vaccinated, but may later opt to receive the vaccine at no cost to
the employee.  Should booster doses later be recommended by the USPHS,
employees must be offered them.

POST-EXPOSURE EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP:  Specifies procedures to be made
available to all employees who have had an exposure incident plus any
laboratory tests must be conducted by an accredited laboratory at no cost
to the employee.  Follow-up must include a confidential medical
evaluation documenting the circumstances of exposure, identifying and
testing the source individual if feasible, testing the exposed employee's
blood if he/she consents, post-exposure prophylaxis, counseling and
evaluation of reported illnesses.  Healthcare professionals must be
provided specified information to facilitate the evaluation and their
written opinion on the need for hepatitis B vaccination following the
exposure.  Information such as the employee's ability to receive the
hepatitis B vaccine must be supplied to the employer.  All diagnoses must
remain confidential.

HAZARD COMMUNICATION:  Requires warning labels including the orange or
orange-red biohazard symbol affixed to containers of regulated waste,
refrigerators and freezers and other containers which are used to store
or transport blood or other potentially infectious materials.  Red bags
or containers may be used instead of labeling.  When a facility uses
universal precautions in its handling of all specimens, labeling is not
required within the facility.  Likewise, when all laundry is handled with
universal precautions, the laundry need not be labelled.  Blood which has
been tested and found free of HIV or HBV and released for clinical use,
and regulated waste which has been decontaminated, need not be labeled.
Signs must be used to identify restricted areas in HIV and HBV research
laboratories and production facilities.

INFORMATION AND TRAINING:  Mandates training within 90 days of effective
date, initially upon assignment and annually - employees who have received
appropriate training within the past year need only receive additional
training in items not previously covered. Training must include making
accessible a copy of the regulatory text of the standard and
explanation of its contents, general discussion on bloodborne diseases
and their transmission, exposure control plan, engineering and work
practice controls, personal protective equipment, hepatitis B vaccine,
response to emergencies involving blood, how to handle exposure
incidents, the post-exposure evaluation and follow-up program,
signs/labels/color-coding.  There must be opportunity for questions and
answers, and the trainer must be knowledgeable in the subject matter.
Laboratory and production facility workers must receive additional
specialized initial training.

RECORDKEEPING:  Calls for medical records to be kept for each employee
with occupational exposure for the duration of employment plus 30 years,
must be confidential and must include name and social security number;
hepatitis B vaccination status (including dates); results of any
examinations, medical testing and follow-up procedures; a copy of the
healthcare professional's written opinion; and a copy of information
provided to the healthcare professional.  Training records must be
maintained for three years and must include dates, contents of the
training program or a summary, trainer's name and qualifications, names
and job titles of all persons attending the sessions.  Medical records
must be made available to the subject employee, anyone with written
consent of the employee, OSHA and NIOSH--they are not available to the
employer.  Disposal of records must be in accord with OSHA's standard
covering access to records.

DATES:  Effective date: March 6, 1992.  Exposure control plan: May 5,
1992.  Information and training requirements and recordkeeping: June 4,
1992.  And the following other provisions take effect on July 6, 1992:
engineering and work practice controls, personal protective equipment,
housekeeping, special provisions covering HIV and HBV research
laboratories and production facilities, hepatitis B vaccination and post-
exposure evaluation and follow-up and labels and signs.

                                  # # #
_________________________________________________________________________
This is one of a series of fact sheets highlighting U.S. Department of
Labor programs. It is intended as a general description only and does not
carry the force of legal opinion.  This information will be made
available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone:
[phone]. TDD message referral phone: [phone].