Bloodborne pathogens are one of the most risky occupational hazards faced by healthcare employees. When employees come in contact with infected blood or any fluid, they can be struck by serious maladies like hepatitis B and HIV.
This hazard is not only faced by the healthcare employees but even by police, firefighters, laundry and sanitation workers as well. Even mortuary employees face the hazard risk and even workers trying to help an injured colleague can be exposed to this hazard.
OSHA has put forward some specific requirements to protect workers from bloodborne pathogen exposures. The standard 29 CFR 1910.1030 has been designed by OSHA to deal with this dangerous hazard. The following are the responsibilities imposed on employers whenever there is a risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Develop an Exposure Control Program: Employers must create an ECP, where all possible situations at the workplace that could transfer pathogens must be put in detail. It must also describe how the risks will communicate to workers, methods of compliance to reduce the risk must be listed and a process to handle and investigate incidents and offer a means of record-keeping of both exposure incidents and employee training.
The plan must also be reviewed annually, incorporate latest technologies or enhanced methods to reduce the risk. If such measures are implemented, the risk can be dramatically cut down.
Offer the Means of Compliance: Employers must provide Personal Protection Equipment to their workers. The PPE must be appropriate with the kind of work the employees are handling, which includes disposable gloves, face masks and eye protection as the bloodborne pathogens are most likely to be transmitted through the eyes, skin, nose and mouth.
Employers must also install "engineering controls" right for the particular job site. These include antiseptic & hand washing towelette stations and leak proof, labeled, and puncture-resistant containers, which will hold contaminated items or particularly sharp items. Hepatitis B vaccine must also be provided to all workers exposed to this hazard.
Recordkeeping: OSHA also requires employers to keep a "sharps injury log" to note the type of device which causes the injury, in what job area it happened and an account of how it happened.
Training: A vital point that OSHA stresses on is employee"s training. The best possible means to spread the awareness of the risk of bloodborne pathogens is to educate them. The OSHA safety training is a compliance program that will not only educate and train workers on the risk of this hazard exposure but the steps to avoid it. As an employer it is your responsibility to make sure your employees receive the OSHA compliance training.
Showing posts with label Pathogens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pathogens. Show all posts
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Get Online Bloodborne Pathogens Training To Comply With Osha
Bloodborne pathogens training are essential for the people who work in clinics and hospitals as health workers. This includes doctors, nurses, and the staff members at these centers, particularly those who can come in close contact with human blood or blood-associated items. This is really very important because the blood they handle can contain infectious germs, virus, and other organisms that can spread quickly. With this bloodborne pathogens training, they will know precisely what to do to keep away from these infections and handle the blood safely.
OSHA And The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
An agency of the United States Department of Labor, the OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration came out with the standard for bloodborne pathogens. OSHA was created by the US Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and this act was signed in 1970 by the then US President Richard M. Nixon. The mission of the act was to prevent any illness, injury, or occupational fatality at the workplace by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace health and safety.
The federal regulations of OSHA cover the private sector workplaces. According to the regulations of OSHA, employees offering first aid and emergency care or those who handle body fluids and blood must receive biosafety training.
Bloodborne pathogens training aims to meet the guidelines, as set by the standard, by training the staff and health workers. Though the cost of such regulation and their enforcement might be on the higher side, the gains are incomparable, and much more than the cost. After all, human life is invaluable.
Why Protection Is Needed
Those who work at health centers often come in close contact with blood and blood-associated items. Human blood and body fluids may often be infected with a lot of germs and viruses. The people whose blood samples are taken for investigation are likely to have these germs because the physician suspects that those people might be infected. Therefore, the risk is higher for the people who draw such blood and test them. Bloodborne infections can cause some serious illnesses such as AIDS, Hepatitis B, and even Hepatitis C.
Many of these diseases can even be fatal. Therefore, it always makes sense to get bloodborne pathogens training and know what to do so that the possibly infected blood can be handled carefully. If done properly, the risk of contamination is almost zero.
Topics Covered In The Training
Bloodborne pathogens training cover important topics and train the health workers to identify at least two bloodborne pathogens. The training also includes identifying the mode of transmission of the pathogens and also the ways in which they are not transmitted. The health workers learn about the people who are at risk of exposure and the protective equipments. The training lists a minimum of three universal precautions.
OSHA And The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
An agency of the United States Department of Labor, the OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration came out with the standard for bloodborne pathogens. OSHA was created by the US Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and this act was signed in 1970 by the then US President Richard M. Nixon. The mission of the act was to prevent any illness, injury, or occupational fatality at the workplace by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace health and safety.
The federal regulations of OSHA cover the private sector workplaces. According to the regulations of OSHA, employees offering first aid and emergency care or those who handle body fluids and blood must receive biosafety training.
Bloodborne pathogens training aims to meet the guidelines, as set by the standard, by training the staff and health workers. Though the cost of such regulation and their enforcement might be on the higher side, the gains are incomparable, and much more than the cost. After all, human life is invaluable.
Why Protection Is Needed
Those who work at health centers often come in close contact with blood and blood-associated items. Human blood and body fluids may often be infected with a lot of germs and viruses. The people whose blood samples are taken for investigation are likely to have these germs because the physician suspects that those people might be infected. Therefore, the risk is higher for the people who draw such blood and test them. Bloodborne infections can cause some serious illnesses such as AIDS, Hepatitis B, and even Hepatitis C.
Many of these diseases can even be fatal. Therefore, it always makes sense to get bloodborne pathogens training and know what to do so that the possibly infected blood can be handled carefully. If done properly, the risk of contamination is almost zero.
Topics Covered In The Training
Bloodborne pathogens training cover important topics and train the health workers to identify at least two bloodborne pathogens. The training also includes identifying the mode of transmission of the pathogens and also the ways in which they are not transmitted. The health workers learn about the people who are at risk of exposure and the protective equipments. The training lists a minimum of three universal precautions.
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