OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: A Guide For Employers

In December of 1991, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the implementation of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard with the mission to prevent injuries and protect the health of American workers. This standard imposes safety requirements on employers of workers who are exposed to blood such as dental offices or other potentially infectious materials.

Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standards, employers are required to protect workers against health hazards by adopting preventive measures such as occupational exposure control plans, hepatitis B vaccinations and annual training for all employees. Organizations that fail to comply with these requirements can face OSHA fines that go up to $70,000 depending on the gravity of the violation.

Implementing a compliance audit checklist is a great way to make sure your company stays compliant with regulatory standards on health and safety.

In this article, we will explain everything you need to know regarding OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard, safety measures, and training requirements for your company.

If you need help to comply with OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard training requirements, check out EasyLlama's Bloodborne Pathogens Awareness Training. We make it easy to certify all your employees and stay clear of fines.

Let's begin with the definition of bloodborne pathogens.

What are Bloodborne Pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms in human blood that are infectious and can cause disease in humans. The most common bloodborne pathogens are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV). Bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted by having contact with infected human blood or other body fluids that are potentially infectious such as amniotic fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, saliva (in dental procedures) to name a few.

Get An Instant Free Course Preview

Try our best-in-class, interactive, and engaging courses for free!

Free Course Preview

What is OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, was first published in 1991 and later updated in 2001 to reflect the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. Its purpose is to protect any worker with reasonably anticipated contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), including employees in healthcare, dental, tattoo and body art, first response, custodial, and laboratory settings.

The standard requires every covered employer to maintain a written Exposure Control Plan that identifies which job classifications and tasks carry exposure risk, and reviews and updates it at least once a year or whenever new tasks, procedures, or technologies change that risk. Employers must also apply universal precautions, treating all human blood and OPIM as if it's infectious for HIV, HBV, and other pathogens, and put engineering and work practice controls in place, such as sharps disposal containers and safer needle devices, to reduce exposure at the source.

Beyond controls, the standard obligates employers to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, gowns, face and eye protection, and CPR barrier devices at no cost to employees, and to offer the hepatitis B vaccine free of charge within 10 working days of initial assignment for anyone with occupational exposure. Together, these provisions form the backbone of a bloodborne pathogens compliance program, with training as the piece that ties them all together.

What are OSHA's Training Requirements for Bloodborne Pathogens?

OSHA requires employers to train every employee with occupational exposure to blood or OPIM before they're assigned tasks that could put them at risk, and then annually thereafter, within one year of the previous session, for as long as that exposure risk exists. Additional training is required any time new tasks, equipment, or procedures change an employee's exposure.

Under 1910.1030(g)(2), training must be conducted by someone knowledgeable in the subject matter, be appropriate in content and vocabulary to the employees' education level and language, and allow for an interactive question-and-answer opportunity. At a minimum, the session needs to cover the regulatory text of the standard, the epidemiology and symptoms of bloodborne diseases, how bloodborne pathogens are transmitted, the employer's exposure control plan, how to recognize tasks that carry exposure risk, and the proper use, limitations, and disposal of PPE. Employers must also cover the hepatitis B vaccine, the post-exposure evaluation and follow-up procedures, and the signs and labels used to warn of biohazards.

Employers are responsible for keeping training records for three years from the date of each session, including the dates, a summary of the content covered, the names and qualifications of the trainer, and the names and job titles of everyone who attended. Falling short on any of these requirements, whether it's skipping the annual refresher or leaving out a required topic, is one of the more common ways organizations end up facing an OSHA citation.

EasyLlama's Bloodborne Pathogens Awareness Training is built to cover every one of these required elements, so your team stays compliant and your records stay audit-ready.