724 - BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN
In accordance with the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, the following exposure control plan has been developed:1. Exposure Determination
OSHA requires employers to perform an exposure determination concerning which employees may incur occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. The exposure determination is made without regard to the use of personal protective equipment (i.e., employees are considered to be exposed even if they wear personal protective equipment.) This exposure determination is required to list all job classifications in which all employees may be expected to incur such occupational exposure, regardless of frequency. At this facility the following job classifications are in this category:
In addition, OSHA requires a listing of job classifications in which some employees may have occupational exposure. Since not all the employees in these categories would be expected to incur exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, tasks or procedures that would cause these employees to have occupational exposure are also required to be listed in order to clearly understand which employees in these categories are considered to have occupational exposure. The job classifications and associated tasks for these categories are as follows:
Job Classification
Health Care Coordinator/First Aid Provider
Occasional First Aid Providers
Custodians
Tech Ed Teachers
CDS Staff
Coaches
2. Implementation Schedule and Methodology
OSHA also requires that this plan also include a schedule and method of implementation for the various requirements of the standard. The following complies with this requirement:
Compliance Methods
Universal precautions will be observed at this facility in order to prevent contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials. All blood or other potentially infectious materials will be considered infectious regardless of the perceived status of the source individual.
Engineering and work practice controls will be utilized to eliminate or minimize exposure to employees at this facility. Where occupational exposure remains after institution of these controls, personal protective equipment shall also be utilized. At this facility the following engineering controls will be utilized:
A. Sharps containers
B. Check bi-weekly, pick-up monthly
C. Hand washing available in each custodian room located in each building
D. Non-latex material protective gloves will be used
The above controls will be examined and maintained on a regular schedule.
Hand washing facilities are also available to the employees who incur exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. OSHA requires that these facilities be readily accessible after incurring exposure. At this facility hand washing facilities are located:
Custodian rooms at both schools, health offices at both schools, bathrooms on both levels at the high school, outside the bathrooms at the elementary school. There are also bathrooms in the high school and elementary school offices.
After removal of personal protective gloves, employees shall wash hands and any other potentially contaminated skin area immediately or as soon as feasible with soap and water. The area shall be cleaned properly and the space decontaminated.
If employees incur exposure to their skin or mucous membranes, then those areas shall be washed or flushed with water as appropriate as soon as feasible following contact.
Needles
Contaminated needles and other contaminated sharps will not be bent, recapped, removed, sheared or purposely broken. OSHA allows an exception to this if the procedure would require that the contaminated needle be recapped or removed and no alternative is feasible and the action is required by the medical procedure. If such action is required, the recapping or removal of the needle must be done by the use of a mechanical device or a one-handed technique.
A. Contaminated needles or other sharps are disposed in the sharps containers
B. Sharp containers located in both school’s health offices, high school lab, art room and shop area
Work Area Restrictions
In work areas where there is a reasonable likelihood of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Methods which will be employed at this facility to accomplish this goal are:
A. Exemption for school districts in accordance with OSHA standards.
Specimens
Specimens of blood or other potentially infectious materials will be placed in a container which will prevent leakage during the collections, handling, processing, storage, and transport of the specimens.
The container used for this purpose will be labeled or color coded in accordance with the requirements of the OSHA standard. (Employers should note that the standard provides for an exemption for specimens from the labeling/color coding requirement of the standard provided that the facility utilizes universal precautions in the handling of all specimens and the containers are recognizable as containing specimens. This exemption applies only while the specimens remain in the facility.
Any specimens which could puncture a primary container will be placed within a secondary container which is puncture resistant.
Contaminated Equipment
Equipment which has become contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials shall be examined prior to servicing or shipping and shall be decontaminated as necessary unless the decontamination of the equipment is not feasible.
A. All equipment, sinks or basins, i.e. Special Education, Food Service are decontaminated daily.
Personal Protective Equipment
All personal protective equipment used at this facility will be provided without cost to employees. Personal protective equipment will be chosen based on the anticipated exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. The protective equipment will be considered appropriate only if it does not permit blood or other potentially infectious materials to pass through or reach the employee’s clothing, skin, eyes, mouth, or other mucous membranes under normal conditions of use and for the durations of time which the protective equipment will be used.
Protective equipment will be provided to employees in the following manner:
A. All custodians are to have protective gloves on at all times when in the bathroom, locker room areas, and also in emergency situations
B. A zip lock bag containing disposable protective gloves, paper towel and a disinfectant wipe is provided to all staff and replaced as needed
C. Lab coats are available
All personal protective equipment will be cleaned, laundered, and disposed of by the school district at no cost to employees. All repairs and replacements will be made by the school district at no cost to employees.
All garments which are penetrated by blood shall be removed immediately or as soon as feasible. All personal protective equipment will be removed prior to leaving the work area. The following protocol has been developed to facilitate leaving the equipment at the work area:
Protective gloves shall be worn where it is reasonably anticipated that employees will have hand contact with blood, other potentially infectious materials, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes. Protective gloves are available to all staff.
Disposable protective gloves used at this facility are not to be washed or decontaminated for re-use and are to be replaced as soon as they are torn, punctured, or when their ability to function as a barrier is compromised. Utility gloves may be decontaminated for re-use provided that the integrity of the glove is not compromised. Utility gloves will be discarded if they are cracked, peeling, torn, punctured, or exhibit other signs of deterioration or when their ability to function as as barrier is compromised.
The OSHA standard also requires appropriate protective clothing to be used, such lab coats, gowns, aprons, clinic jackets, or similar outer garments.
All contaminated work surfaces, sinks and emesis basins will be decontaminated after completion of procedures and immediately or as soon as feasible after any spill of blood or other potentially infectious materials, as well as the end of the work shift if the surface may have become contaminated since the last cleaning.
All bins, pails, cans, and similar receptacles shall be inspected and decontaminated on a regularly scheduled basis each day by the custodian.
Laundry Procedures
Laundry contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials will be handled as little as possible. Such laundry will be placed in appropriately marked bags at the location where it was used. Such laundry will not be sorted or rinsed in the area of use.
All employees who handle contaminated laundry will utilize personal protective equipment to prevent contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.
Laundry at this facility will be cleaned at laundry rooms.
A. Laundry is done by trained personnel and in laundry rooms at each building.
B. Phy Ed and athletic towels will be laundered with bleach.
Hepatitis B Vaccine
All employees have been offered the Hepatitis B vaccine, at no cost to the employee. The vaccine has been offered unless the employee has previously had the vaccine or wishes to submit to antibody testing which shows the employee to have sufficient immunity.
All new employees will be offered the Hepatitis B vaccine at no cost to the employee.
Employees who declined the Hepatitis B vaccine will sign a waiver which uses the wording in Appendix A of the OSHA standard. The declinations will be placed in the employee’s health file located in the district office.
Employees who initially decline the vaccine, but who later wish to have it, may then have the vaccine provided at no cost.
Vaccine to be given by the county public health department or a personal physician.
Post-Exposure Evaluation and Follow-Up
When the employee incurs an exposure incident, it would be reported to Department Supervisor.
All employees who incur an exposure incident will be offered post-exposure evaluation and follow-up in accordance with the OSHA standard.
This follow-up will include the following:
** Documentation of the route of exposure and the circumstances related to the incident.
** If possible, the identification of the source individual and, if possible, the status of the source individual. The blood of the source individual will be tested. Results of testing of the source individual will be made available to the exposed employee and the employee will be informed about
the applicable laws and regulations concerning disclosure of the identity and infectivity of the source individual.
** The employee will be offered the option of having their blood collected for testing of the employees HIV/HBV serological status. The blood sample will be preserved for up to 90 days to allow the employee to decide if the blood should be tested for HIV serological status. However, if the
employee decides prior to that time that testing will or will not be conducted then the appropriate action can be taken and the blood sample discarded.
** The employee will be offered post exposure prophylaxis in accordance with the current recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Service.
** The employee will be given appropriate counseling concerning precautions to take during the period after the exposure incident. The employee will also be given information on what potential illnesses to be alert for and to report any related experiences to appropriate personnel.
** The following person(s) has been designated to assure that the policy outlined here is effectively carried out as well as to maintain records related to this policy:
1. Safety Director
2. Health Care Coordinator
Interaction with Health Care Professionals
A written opinion shall be obtained from the health care professional who evaluates employees of this facility. Written opinions will be obtained in the following instances:
1. When the employee is sent to obtain the Hepatitis B vaccine.
2. Whenever the employee is sent to a health care professional following an exposure incident.
Health care professionals shall be instructed to limit their opinions to:
1. Whether the Hepatitis B vaccine is indicated and if the employee has received the vaccine, or for evaluation following an incident.
2. That the employee has been informed of the results of the evaluating, and
3. That the employee has been told about any medical conditions resulting from exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials.
Training
Training for all employees will be provided and will be conducted in the following manner:
Training for employees will include the following explanation of:
1. The OSHA standard for Bloodborne Pathogens
2. Epidemiology and symptomatology of bloodborne diseases
3. Modes of transmission of bloodborne pathogens
4. This Exposure Control Plan, i.e., points of the plan, how the plan will be implemented, etc.
5. Procedures which might cause exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials at this facility
6. Control methods which will be used at the facility to control exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials
7. Personal protective equipment available at this facility and who should be contacted concerning
8. Post Exposure evaluation and follow-up
9. Hepatitis B vaccine program at the facility
Recordkeeping
All records required by the OSHA standard will be maintained by Safety Director and Health Care Coordinator.
Dates
All provisions required by the standard will be implemented each school year by the end of October.
A. Training for all staff will be conducted by written material and/or videotape by our environmental consultant.
B. All staff will review this plan yearly.
C. Non-staff using our facility will receive a control plan.
D. Staff members hired during the school year will receive training as part of the new employee orientation as well as frequently used substitute custodians.
The outline for the training material is located in the district office at the elementary school.
Adopted: August 20, 2003
Posted: 11/15/2007 07:07:44 am