Bloodborne Pathogens Defined
Bloodborne pathogens can cause serious and potentially deadly diseases, which is why OSHA requires anyone with occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials to comply with its bloodborne pathogen standard.
But what are bloodborne pathogens? This blog will delve into the definition of bloodborne pathogens, common examples, how they’re transmitted, and more.
Bloodborne Pathogens: Definition
A bloodborne pathogen (BBP) is any disease-causing organism that passes from one entity to another through blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).
The symptoms of bloodborne diseases vary by the type of infection, but these diseases sometimes present initially with flu-like symptoms, if they’re symptomatic at all.
Examples of Bloodborne Pathogens
Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV are the most common bloodborne diseases. Other less common examples include Ebola, Dengue, and other viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs).
How Are Bloodborne Pathogens Transmitted?
Bloodborne pathogens are transmissible through direct contact with blood or OPIMs, which can include:
- Blood
- Blood serum
- Vaginal secretions
- Semen
- Cerebrospinal fluid
- Joint capsule or organ fluids, including pleural and peritoneal fluids
- Amniotic fluid
Infections can be passed when any of these fluids make contact with either broken/damaged skin (including sunburn, acne, or chapped skin) or a mucous membrane (like the eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals). That can include the inhalation of aerosolized infectious material.
Contact with unbroken, healthy skin is low-risk but should be avoided since not all skin damage is readily apparent.
Other bodily fluids – including saliva, urine, feces, and sweat – are considered “low risk” for the transmission of common bloodborne pathogens. However, precautions should still be taken, especially in light of the discovery that these fluids can transmit certain hemorrhagic fevers.
From a practical standpoint, this means that bloodborne diseases are often passed through unprotected sexual contact, needles, or other sharps. However, bloodborne infections can also be passed from mothers to babies during pregnancy or birth.
OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
OSHA published the first bloodborne pathogen standard in 1991. The current standard can be found under 29 CFR 1910.1030. It outlines the requirements for at-risk professionals, including healthcare workers, for preventing bloodborne pathogen exposure in the workplace.
OSHA requires workplaces with potential BBP exposure to take certain measures, including:
- Develop and maintain an Exposure Control Plan
- Create a list of all job classifications with occupational exposure to BBP
- Use engineering controls and work practices to eliminate or minimize exposure
- Require universal precautions to prevent contact with blood/OPIM
- Provide, maintain, and require the use of appropriate personal protective equipment
- Set schedules and protocols for decontamination of the work area
- Provide proper containers for sharps and other regulated waste
- Train employees with occupational exposure annually
Universal Precautions for Bloodborne Pathogens
OSHA’s bloodborne standard codifies and operationalizes the long-accepted principles of universal precautions for bloodborne pathogen transmission.
“Universal precautions” is the idea that certain protective practices, like wearing gloves, must be implemented whenever an activity carries the risk of BBP transmission. You must assume that all bodily fluids and all sites, like open wounds and mucous membranes, contain pathogenic microorganisms.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) For Bloodborne Pathogens
According to OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen standard, the exact PPE you choose for any given task should be appropriate to the level and type of expected exposure. This means the required PPE will depend on the circumstances.
Gloves are always a basic requirement since it’s reasonable to expect that a worker performing a risky task will have hand contact with blood, OPIM, or contaminated surfaces.
Goggles and face masks (and/or face shields) are necessary whenever a task poses a risk of splashes, sprays, spatters, or droplets of blood or OPIM to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Gowns, aprons, lab coats, and other protective clothing should be used when exposure to the body is a risk, including surgery, autopsy, and BBP research facilities. When “gross contamination” is expected, workers need surgical caps, hoods, and shoe covers/booties.
PPE should be removed after the task is complete and disposed of or decontaminated. Never wear used BBP PPE outside the work area.
Bloodborne Pathogen Training Requirement
As part of the bloodborne pathogen standard, OSHA requires employers to provide yearly training to employees with occupational exposure.
BBP training must include:
- An explanation of the BBP standard
- The epidemiology and symptoms of bloodborne diseases
- The modes of transmission
- The employer's exposure control plan
- How to recognize tasks that may involve exposure to blood/OPIM
- The use and limitations of engineering controls, work practices, and PPE
- How to select, find, use, remove, handle, decontaminate, and dispose of PPE
- What to do and who to contact in an emergency involving blood/OPIM
- Post-exposure protocol and mandatory followup
Who Needs Bloodborne Pathogen Training?
The bloodborne pathogen standard and its training requirement) apply to anyone at risk of occupational exposure to blood and OPIM.
This list is longer than you’d think! Professions that need BBP training include:
- Healthcare workers
- Janitorial, laundry, and housekeeping staff
- Law enforcement
- Blood/tissue bank staff and volunteers
- Medical equipment technicians
- Teachers, school nurses, and other school employees
- Morticians and other funder home employees
- Tattoo and piercing artists
Get Bloodborne Pathogen Training Online
Providing online BBP training through an OSHA-authorized and trusted provider like us is one way to ensure that you comply with OSHA’s bloodborne pathogen training requirement.
Our Bloodborne Pathogen Training is online and self-paced. Your employees will get a complete picture of methods for bloodborne pathogen exposure, and they’ll be able to study when and where it’s comfortable. You’ll have confirmation that employees comprehend the material, as well as training documentation for compliance audits.
