Blood Borne Pathogen Plan

PURPOSE
To limit occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials that could result in transmission of blood borne pathogens causing disease or death in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1030.
SCOPE
Covers all employees who could be reasonably anticipated to face contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials as a result of performing their job duties (occupational exposure). Only employees in the jobs listed below are considered to be at risk of infection. Employees performing “Good Samaritan” acts such as assisting a co-worker with a nosebleed are not considered at risk.
DEFINTIONS
1. Blood-borne pathogens mean disease-causing microorganisms that are present in human blood. These pathogens include but are not limited to, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
2. Contaminated means the presence or reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.
3. Exposure determination means a list of job classification and specific tasks that have occupational exposure. This list is made without regard to the use of personal protective equipment
4. Exposure incident means a specific eye, mouth, or other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result from the performance of an employee’s duties.
5. Infectious materials include semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, and any body fluid visibly contaminated with blood and all body fluids where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids.
6. Occupational exposure means reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious material that may result from the performance of an employee’s duties.
7. Parenteral means piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needle sticks, human bites, cuts, and abrasions.
8. Universal precautions – a system of infectious disease control, which assumes that every direct contact with body fluids is infectious and requires every employee, exposed to direct contact with body fluids to be protected as though such body fluids were HBV- or HIV-infected.
EXPOSURE DETERMINATION
1. All employees in the following job classifications have occupational exposure
  1. student health services nurses
  2. nursing faculty
  3. security
  4. athletic trainers
  5. housekeeping
  6. maintenance/grounds
2. Some employees in the following job classifications have occupational exposure
  1. Student athletic trainers
    1. Students who are paid for their work with the college will be immunized at college expense unless they decline in writing.
    2. Students given scholarship money or only completing academic requirements are not employees. Nevertheless, such students shall receive blood-borne pathogen training. This training shall be documented.
3. The following tasks and procedures are performed by employees in the job classifications listed above and cause occupational exposure.
  1. Classification A1:
    1. injections
    2. care of lacerations, abrasions, open wounds
    3. dressing changes
    4. suture removal
    5. gynecological procedures
    6. throat culture tests
  2. Classification A2
    1. Assisting nursing students with hands on procedures such as injections, dressing wounds, etc.
    2. demonstrating the above procedures to student nurses
  3. Classification A3
    1. exposure to blood when transporting injured personnel to the emergency room
    2. exposure to blood or other body fluids when providing emergency first aid treatment or assisting professional or paraprofessional medical personnel
    3. possible exposure to blood when required to deal with unruly students or visitors
  4. Classification A4 and B1
    1. Care (cleaning/dressing) of soft tissue wounds that occur as a result of athletic competition. These can range from abrasions with little or no blood contact to lacerations which may bleed freely until controlled (fairly common task)
    2. Exposure to soiled clothing as a result of soft tissue wounds that may occur as a result of athletic competition.
    3. exposure to cerebrospinal fluid which could occur with a severe head injury or skull fracture (very rare occurrence)
    4. contact with saliva when attending to athletes with possible mouth/dental injuries, or cuts to or around the mouth
SCHEDULE AND METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION
1. Methods of Compliance
  1. Universal Precautions were put in place in May, 1992. Nurses, athletic trainers, housekeeping, maintenance/grounds, health service, security, RD/RA, special events and science lab personnel have completed professional training in universal precautions. The Exposure Control Officer will be responsible for campus-wide training. (The Exposure Control Officer shall be the Director of Housekeeping.)
  2. Engineering and work practice controls were implemented in July, 1992. Nurses and athletic trainers have a copy of the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1030. The athletic and nursing departments will train all their staff and their students. The Exposure Control Officer will train all other personnel deemed necessary.
  3. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided free of charge to all persons having occupational exposure.
  4. Housekeeping personnel have been informed of the requirements of the blood-borne pathogen standard.
2. Hepatitis B vaccinations shall be offered to all affected employees. The Exposure Control Officer will maintain a list of all college employees requiring vaccinations along with their vaccination status and all signed declination statements. Post exposure evaluation and follow-up will take place as specified in paragraph VII of this plan.
3. The hazard communication requirements of the standard were met in April, 1992. New employees having occupational exposure will be informed of that fact prior to hiring.
4. Records required by paragraph (h) of the standard will be maintained in each individual’s employee personnel file. The Exposure Control Officer will maintain a list of all personnel having occupational exposure along with their immunization and training status. Forms for record-keeping will be congruent across departments and will be available from the Exposure Control Officer.