Posted On: July 11, 2024

Bloodborne Pathogens Training: Who Needs It?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 5.6 million healthcare workers in the U.S. are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens daily. While encountering infectious materials may be an inherent part of your role, healthcare worker safety, including safeguarding yourself and others from the diseases that can result from pathogen exposure, is equally important. To protect yourself and others from exposure, it's essential to be well-informed about these pathogens and the preventative measures you can take.

In this blog, we'll explore who needs bloodborne pathogens training, why it's important, and what the training typically covers.

What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) are defined as microorganisms that cause diseases and can be transmitted from one individual to another through blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). These pathogens include:

Blood
Blood serum
Vaginal secretions
Semen
Cerebrospinal fluid
Pleural, peritoneal, and other joint capsule or organ fluids
Amniotic fluid

The risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) through various bodily fluids isn't uniformly established. Fluids such as saliva, urine, feces, and sweat are generally deemed low risk concerning BBPs.

Nevertheless, healthcare professionals are advised to wear suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) to guard against potential risks, especially if these fluids are contaminated with blood or carry other infectious agents.

Exposure to semen or vaginal secretions poses a higher risk for BBP transmission, particularly during sexual contact or when these fluids come into contact with other mucous membranes.

Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms that can range from the viruses responsible for the common cold to more severe and lethal viruses like Ebola. Understanding the different ways pathogens can spread is crucial for their treatment and prevention.

Bloodborne pathogens are specific types of pathogens that are transmitted through contact with blood and reside in the bloodstream. Examples of bloodborne pathogens include, but are not limited to:

Hepatitis
HIV
Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers

Common Bloodborne Pathogens

Bloodborne pathogens cause various diseases, but three are primarily of concern in U.S. healthcare settings: Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Here’s more information on each:

Hepatitis B: A liver inflammation that can be acute or chronic. It's highly infectious, posing a significant risk to healthcare workers, especially through needlestick injuries. Symptoms include joint pain, nausea, and jaundice, among others. Chronic HBV can lead to severe liver complications. Vaccination is available, but there's no cure once infected.
Hepatitis C: Similar to HBV, it can be acute or chronic. As of 2016, approximately 2.4 million Americans were living with HCV. It shares many symptoms with HBV, and co-infection is possible. While no vaccine is available, treatment options have significantly improved, offering hope for a cure within twelve weeks for some.
HIV: Responsible for AIDS, destroys T-cells, weakening the immune system and making the body vulnerable to opportunistic infections. While a cure for HIV/AIDS does not exist, antiretroviral therapy can manage the condition effectively, preventing the progression to AIDS for many years.

Other less common bloodborne pathogens include viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Dengue, primarily found outside the United States but pose risks in certain regions.

What Is the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) introduced the initial bloodborne pathogens standard in 1991, mandating that employers actively reduce their workers' exposure to bloodborne pathogens. This standard was subsequently revised in 2001 to include provisions from the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act.

This regulation specifies the categories of individuals it protects and clarifies the terminology used throughout the document. It also outlines the obligations of employers under the standard. The revised OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard requires employers to undertake the following measures:

Create a written “Exposure Control Plan” that’s updated each year.
Enforce the use of universal (standard) protocol.
Ensure the use of engineering precautions, including the operation of effective, safe medical equipment like sharps disposal bins, self-sheathing needles, and needleless operations.
Make sure that work practices are performed to minimize exposure, such as proper practices for handling and discarding laundry and sanitizing infectious surfaces.
Provide individual protective equipment like eye protection, gloves, gowns, and masks.
Provide free hepatitis B vaccinations to workers within 10 days of assignment.
Provide free post-exposure exams per the CDC guidelines after any occupational exposure accident for employees.
Educate employees about hazards via healthcare professional training and occupational health training, signage, and labels.
Document injuries and maintain the medical records for injured employees.

Following the initial publication of the standard in 1991, OSHA updated the bloodborne pathogens standard on January 18, 2001. This update incorporated modifications specified by Congress in the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, along with further mandates for employers, including:

Maintaining a sharps injury log.
Documenting non-managerial workers for ID, evaluation, and selection of devices.
Expanded terms and definitions of engineering controls.
Ensuring that exposure control protocols included changes in technology that minimize exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

How Do Bloodborne Pathogens Spread?

Bloodborne pathogens are transmitted when there is contact with infected blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). Transmission requires specific types of contact, primarily through sexual activity, sharing needles (often linked to drug use), or from infected mothers to babies during birth.

Healthcare workers and others in high-risk professions should be vigilant about accidental exposures, which can occur through needlesticks, sharps injuries, inhalation of contaminated aerosols, or contact with mucous membranes or broken skin. Healthy, intact skin presents the lowest risk, yet all precautions should be taken to avoid exposure.

Direct contact with infected blood, especially through shared needles, is a significant risk for transmission, with hepatitis C being commonly transmitted this way. Bloodborne pathogens can also spread through sexual contact, contact with feces, and potentially unhygienic tattoo practices, although regulations reduce the risk from professional tattoo parlors.

Bloodborne pathogens can survive up to a week outside the body, with dried blood still capable of transmitting hepatitis B and C. Even minimal contact with such materials can lead to infection.

What Do I Do if I’m Exposed to Bloodborne Pathogens?

Despite stringent workplace safety training and measurements, accidental exposures to bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) still occur, with over 50% of nurses experiencing a needlestick injury at least once during their careers, posing a risk to all medical professionals. Immediate action is crucial following exposure.

At the workplace, adhere to the exposure control plan. OSHA mandates that employers provide post-exposure evaluations and follow-up care at no cost to the affected employees.

In the event of exposure, wash the area with soap and water, rinse mucous membranes thoroughly, and if eyes are exposed, irrigate them with sterile water or saline. After cleaning, seek medical attention promptly and report the incident according to your workplace policy.

Blood contact, whether occupational or accidental, must be handled with utmost caution due to the high risk associated with bloodborne diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis C, which can lead to chronic conditions. Always treat blood and potentially infectious materials as hazardous, avoiding direct contact and employing disinfectants like bleach or clinically approved hydrogen peroxide for decontamination.

Bloodborne Pathogens Infectious Disease Prevention

The primary method to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens is adhering to universal precautions, which involve treating all blood and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) as if they were infectious.

This strategy includes implementing engineering controls, such as the use of proper sharps disposal containers and biohazard bins. Individuals at risk should wear suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, masks, eye protection, face shields, and gowns. Employers are responsible for labeling hazardous areas/items and offering hepatitis B vaccinations to their staff.

To further mitigate risk, it's crucial to disinfect reusable items and surfaces after each use and maintain safety-centric policies and procedures to limit exposure.

Additional precautions include not sharing needles, ensuring tattoo procedures are done with sterile equipment in reputable parlors, practicing safe sex with appropriate protection and careful choice of partners, following strict cleaning protocols for any blood spills, and using effective disinfectants like bleach to eliminate potential pathogens.

Moreover, to learn about the precautions that should be taken to prevent personal and third-party contamination, sign up for Bloodborne Pathogens Training Online.

Bloodborne Pathogens Training

Individuals at risk of unintentional exposure to bloodborne pathogens (BBPs), regardless of their role in healthcare, should complete training and successfully pass a test on bloodborne pathogens. Professions recommended for BBP training encompass:

Doctors, nurses, and other direct patient care providers
Paramedics, EMTs, firemen, and other first responders
Medical laboratory teams and researchers
Rehab, nursing home, and home health care providers
Dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants
Law enforcement
Janitorial, laundry, and housekeeping teams
Blood and tissue bank staff and blood drive volunteers
Medical equipment technicians
Teachers, school nurses, and school employees
Morticians and funeral home employees
Tattoo and piercing artists

This list is not comprehensive. Anyone whose occupation may involve exposure to blood, other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), or items that could be contaminated (such as needles and syringes) is advised to complete a certified course on bloodborne pathogens.

Bloodborne Pathogens Training Topics

Pathogen training courses must address key strategies to reduce exposure, instructing employees on several critical practices, including:

Bloodborne pathogens compliance with established safety protocols.
Utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly.
Adhering to rigorous housekeeping standards.
Applying universal safety measures, like treating all blood samples as potentially infectious.
Implementing engineering solutions, such as sharps with engineered safety features and designated sharps disposal containers.

Moreover, healthcare personnel should receive detailed information about their facility's specific exposure control plan. The OSHA standard for bloodborne pathogens requires that employers develop and enforce these control plans as a foundational measure to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Bloodborne Pathogens Training Records

Employee training records must be retained for a minimum of three years following the date of training and must be readily available for review by the employer in case of an OSHA audit. To meet the OSHA bloodborne pathogens training requirements, these records should comprehensively include:

The training session's date.
The names and qualifications of the instructors.
The names and job titles of all trained employees.
An overview of the training content.

Training for bloodborne pathogens is not limited to traditional classroom settings; OSHA permits the use of video-on-demand and online video-based training methods. Nonetheless, the training material must cover all essential topics mandated by OSHA and ideally be tailored to the specific needs of the industry.

Bloodborne Pathogens Certification With 360training

Bloodborne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) are responsible for numerous severe illnesses. Ensuring that you and others remain protected from these infections requires proper healthcare worker safety courses.

For those in need of training and certification, either individually or for a medical team, 360training offers comprehensive courses designed to meet these bloodborne pathogens training requirements. Our course delves into the details discussed in this article, providing extensive knowledge of OSHA standards and practical workplace practices.

To enroll in this cost-effective, in-depth course and take advantage of our group discount rates, please visit our website today!