ADVISORY
Please be advised that the following information has been thoughtfully prepared and carefully reviewed and should not be altered without prior consultation with IBPSA. For any questions, please contact membership@ibpsa.com or 877-318-8172.
You will complete this lesson and there will be a copy that you sign that we will keep in your employee file.
Bloodborne Pathogen Program
Exposure Control Plan
POLICY STATEMENT
In order to conduct our business, there is a possibility that some employees could be exposed to potentially infectious materials, therefore a Bloodborne Pathogen Program has been written in order to inform you that your employer is complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1030. The Bloodborne Pathogen Program is provided and implemented in an effort to reduce the risk of an occupational disease encountered through an exposure to bloodborne pathogens. It is the policy of our company that all employees be aware of the Bloodborne Pathogen Program and that each employee follows the safety guidelines to reduce the risk of an exposure. It will be the responsibility of management and supervisors to ensure that each employee is provided with safety instructions and the tools to safely perform their job tasks. It will be the employee’s responsibility to follow safe practices as outlined in the Bloodborne Pathogen
Program and the Safety Plan.
We are not creating a new role or responsibility for any of the employees. This Bloodborne Pathogen Program is intended to supplement the normal safety activities and existing safety policies. The effectiveness of the Bloodborne Pathogen Program, as with the normal Safety Program, depends on the active support and involvement of all employees.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Bloodborne pathogens can cause serious health concerns for those workers who are exposed to blood, body/animal fluids and potentially infectious materials. This Program will provide the knowledge and procedures to be followed that will allow the employee to work safely in a potentially infectious environment. The elements of this Program comply with the requirements set forth by Title 25 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1030. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are responsible for making sure employers comply with the provisions set forth by the 20 CFR 1910.1030. It is the responsibility of management, supervisors, and employees to comply with the elements of this Program.
COVERED JOB TASKS
Most people perceive that a Bloodborne Pathogen Program is intended primarily for those employees who work in the healthcare profession, which is true, but anyone that has contact with human or animal fluid should be protected. Any body or animal fluid should be treated as if it were contaminated. Therefore proper Personal Protective Equipment should be worn when performing a job function where a reasonable chance of Exposure exists. Our company has identified the following Job Tasks that may have a risk of Exposure. Management reserves the right to add to this list at any time. Each employee has a duty to follow the guidelines set forth in the Expsoure Control Plan. Should an employee feel that their job position should be considered for this list, they should contact their supervisor immediately.
CONTROL PLAN
1. All blood and body/animal fluids and materials containing blood and body/animal fluids shall be considered potentially infectious.
2. Each employee will take specific safety precautions to limit their exposure or direct contact with blood or potentially infectious materials.
3. No employee will be allowed to work in a task that could involve an exposure to a potentially infectious material unless the employee has received Bloodborne PathogenTraining.
4. Each employee will wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), which may include, but not be limited to protective gloves, a protective mask, eye shields, face shield, or other PPE specific for that job task.
5. Work attire will be kept clean and sanitary. Contaminated PPE and contaminated clothing will be changed as soon as possible.
6. Contaminated PPE and contaminated clothing will be properly disposed of in a designated and well-identified container for storing, washing, decontamination or discarding of potentially infectious materials. Contaminated PPE and contaminated clothing will not be mixed in with other items that are not contaminated.
7. Employees are expected to maintain the highest standards of personal cleanliness. Hands will be washed with a mild soap and water or appropriate disinfectant dried with a clean cloth/paper towel or antiseptic toilette before and immediately after coming into contact with a potentially infectious fluid. Employees will wash their hands immediately or as soon as feasible after removing protective gloves or any other PPE.
8. Employees will not eat, drink, smoke, apply cosmetics or lip balm, or handle contact lensesin work areas where there is a reasonable likelihood of an exposure to body/animal fluids or potentially infectious materials.
9. Work areas will be maintained in a clean and orderly condition at all times.
10. All equipment, kennels and working surfaces will be decontaminated after any incident where animal/human fluid has been released to the environment. Cleaning will be followed by the use of an appropriate disinfectant that will kill germs.
11. Protective coverings or plastic wraps and imperviously backed absorbent paper, will be removed and discarded after being contaminated.
12. Contaminated laundry will be bagged to prevent leakage.
13. Trash will be placed in the appropriately marked receptacles.
- a. Broken glass, which might be contaminated, should never be picked up with the hands. Always use a broom and dustpan to pick up broken glass.
- b. Regulated Waste.
14) Regulated waste containers must be leak proof and have a lid that closes. The container must be well marked and identified with the appropriate “Bio-Hazard” identification marking.
15) Contaminated sharps will be properly disposed of in a container provided specifically for contaminated sharps.
16) Contaminated needles will not be re-capped. Unused needles will be properly disposed and marked for disposal of used needles.
17) Contaminated Waste will be handled with extreme care. Waste should be double bagged in a well-identifiable bag or container and handled only by approved personnel.
18) Do not push down on trash containers or bags with your hand or foot as the container may rip open or a sharp may protrude through the container or bag.
19) Specimens of blood or animal fluid in a Veterinary Clinic/Animal Hospital will only be handled by authorized employes. All specimens will be properly stored in a marked container and not transported to another location without being properly marked and in an enclosed container.
20) Any employee suffering an exposure, to include a needle stick, (skin, eye, mucous membrane) contact with blood or a potentially infectious material will immediately report such an exposure to their supervisor. The employee should seek an immediate medical evaluation in accordance with the accident reporting procedures and instructions.
21) Those employees involved in the janitorial or housekeeping tasks should be trained concerning exposure risks and specific measures to be taken to lessen that exposure. Some basic recommendations to prevent an exposure may include, but are not limited to:
- a. Always use the appropriate PPE, such as gloves, aprons, and masks.
- b. Always disinfect before touching.
- c. Wash your hands frequently after cleaning an area.
- d. Do not touch your mouth or eyes until you have had an opportunity to wash your hands.
- e. Change out of soiled clothing as soon as possible. Promptly laundry soiled clothes, uniforms and aprons.
- f. Do not smoke or eat while at work, and always wash your hands before eating or smoking.
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Each employee will be trained before he or she is allowed to work at a task that may involve an exposure to blood or potentially infectious materials. The Supervisor is responsible for providing training concerning bloodborne pathogens. Each employee will receive a refresher course concerning bloodborne pathogens on an annual basis.
Training will include:
· An explanation of the Bloodborne Pathogen Program,
· An explanation of the modes of transmission of bloodborne pathogens,
· An explanation of the Exposure Control Plan,
· An explanation of the appropriate methods for recognizing activities and job tasks that could contribute to an exposure,
· An explanation on the basis for personal protective equipment (PPE),
· Information on the availability of the Hepatitis B vaccine and the benefits of vaccination,
· An explanation of the procedures to be followed if there is an exposure, to include the reporting procedures and appropriate medical evaluations available,
· An explanation of the signs and labels, including colors that warn of a biochemical hazard.
Training records must include the name of all employees who attended training sessions, as well as the date, time and subjects discussed. Records must be maintained on file for a period of at least three (3) years from the date of training. Training records must be made available upon request for examination to employees, employee representatives and/or the Director of OSHA or the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labor (Medical Records are confidential and will not be released without the written consent of the employee). All training records are transferable to a new company or business owner should there be a change in owners or management company in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1030(h).
MEDICAL RECORDS
A medical record of each employee who is at potential risk for an exposure to a bloodborne pathogen will be maintained and preserved in accordance with Title 29 CFR 1910.20(e). Medical records will remain confidential and will not be released to or reviewed by unauthorized persons without the written consent of the employee. Medical records will be kept secured at all times to prevent unauthorized access.
LABELING REQUIREMENTS
Containers of regulated waste, refrigerators and freezers containing blood and potentially infectious materials and any other container used to store, transport or ship blood or any potentially infectious materials, must be labeled with a florescent orange or orange-red Biohazard warning label. The label must contain the biohazard symbol (see Figure 1) and have the word “BIOHAZARD” on it. Labels are not required if the container is pre-marked, when red bags or red containers are used, or if an individual container of blood or blood products is clearly marked as such and have been released for transfusion or other clinical use or if an individual container is placed into a labeled container used to transport, ship or dispose of the blood or potentially infectious materials. (This labeling requirement will pertain mainly to the Veterinary Clinic setting but would be applicable to any other facility handling blood/body/animal fluid.)
Figure 1, Biohazard Warning Label
HEPATITIS B VACCINE
Employees may elect to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine if their work involves a substantial risk of being exposed to bloodborne pathogens. Those employees, who are at potential risk, may decline the Hepatitis B vaccine, but only after receiving training regarding Hepatitis B and given notice of the availability of the Hepatitis B vaccine. The declination statement is not a waiver, as employees may request and receive the Hepatitis B vaccine at a later date if they remain occupationally at risk for Hepatitis B. Any employee refusing the Hepatitis B vaccine after receiving training and notice of availability must sign the following declination statement:
DECLINATION STATEMENT
I understand that due to my occupational risk of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (s), I may be at risk of acquiring Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. I have been given the opportunity to be vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine, at no charge to me. However, I decline the Hepatitis B vaccination at this time. I understand that by declining this vaccine. I continue to be at risk of acquiring Hepatitis B, a serious disease. If in the future I continue to have an occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials and I want to be vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine, I can receive the vaccination series at no charge to me.
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Employee Signature Date
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PRINTED Name of Employee Witness Signature
POST-EXPOSURE EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Each employee has a duty to immediately report an exposure incident to their supervisor and the safety manager. An “exposure incident” is defined as: “A specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or a potentially infectious material that results from the performance of an employee’s duties. A parenteral contact is a piercing of the mucous membrane or the skin barrier through an event such as a needlestick, human/animal bite, a cut or abrasion.” Each report of an exposure incident will immediately be documented in writing. The documentation will include the route(s) of exposure and the circumstances under which the exposure incident occurred. Report of exposure incidents will remain confidential. The exposed employee will give a sample of blood for analysis after giving written consent for taking of a specimen for collection and subsequent testing at a medical facility. If the employee consents to baseline blood testing, but not HIV serological testing, the collected sample will be maintained and preserved for at least 90 days. The employee will have 90 days from the date of the exposure to have the baseline sample tested for HIV. Upon written request from an employee, the employee may obtain a copy of the healthcare provider’s evaluation. The healthcare provider’s comments will include whether or not the employee has received the Hepatitis B vaccine and any information about medical conditions which may require further evaluation or treatment due to the exposure to the blood or potentially infectious material. All other findings or diagnoses will remain confidential and will not be included in the medical report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby acknowledge that I have read or had read to me the Bloodborne Pathogen Program. I understand and agree to follow all safety guidelines given to me, to include the Exposure Control Plan. I have had the Hepatitis B vaccine offered to me, free of charge, and I understand the seriousness of the disease. Should I elect to not receive the Hepatitis B vaccine, I agree to sign a Statement of Declination. I further understand that a Statement of Declination is not a waiver, and that I may request the Hepatitis B vaccine at anytime. I agree to immediately report any exposure incident to my supervisor/employer.
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Signature Date
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PRINTED NAME of Employee
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Witness/Supervisor
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PRINTED NAME of Witness/Supervisor