Yes. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard prescribes safeguards to protect employees against health hazards caused by bloodborne pathogens. Its regulations include proper training, as well as exposure control plans, personal protective equipment, universal precautions, engineering and work practice controls, housekeeping, recordkeeping, hazard communication, Hepatitis B vaccinations, and post-exposure follow-up. Such training must be provided free of cost, must be held during working hours, and must be attended by all employees.
Which employees are required to complete BBP training as required by OSHA?
All employees who are subject to occupational exposure must be trained in accordance to OSHA regulations.
Which occupations typically require BBP training?
Some common examples include emergency response personnel, public safety workers, HIV and HBV research laboratories and production facilities, standard microbiological practices, and all levels of medical staff. However, any occupation that involves exposure to human blood or other body fluids includes the risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Is the employer obligated to provide personal protective equipment when there is occupational exposure to BBP?
Yes. The employer should provide appropriate PPE at no cost to the employee. This equipment may include (but is not limited to) face shields or masks, eye protection, gloves, gowns, laboratory coats, pocket masks, mouthpieces, or other ventilation devices. "Appropriate" equipment is considered that which does not allow the penetration of blood or other infectious substances to the employees" skin or clothes (under normal conditions of use and during the use of the PPE). All PPE should be removed prior to leaving the worksite and should be properly handled (i.e. stored, cleaned, thrown away, or decontaminated as designated).
Do unpaid volunteers or temp workers need to be trained?
Yes. BBP training must be provided to every single employee or volunteer who is subject to occupational exposure.
Are employees who are trained/designated to provide First Aid required to complete BBP training?
Absolutely. These employees are regularly exposed to human blood and other body fluids, thus increasing their risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
How often should refresher training be provided?
BBP training must be reviewed and updated every year (at minimum). Furthermore, refresher training should be provided whenever necessary to reflect new procedures, employee positions, altering technology, or new hazards; according to 1910.1030(g)(iv): "Employers shall provide additional training when changes such as modification of tasks or procedures or institution of new tasks or procedures affect the employee’s occupational exposure. The additional training may be limited to addressing the new exposures created."
DVD cost effectively trains and retrains an unlimited amount of employees.
No trainer required, just pop in and play.
Video content keeps trainees engaged.
Very convenient, multiple employees don"t need to be pulled off the floor at once for a training session.
Includes both video content and an interactive quiz element to keep workers engaged.
More engaging than traditional training formats.
Can be customized to fit a companies specific work environment and equipment.
The only training option that can cover the "hands on" and "evaluation" portions of the training in addition to the "classroom" portion of the training.
CONS
Can be difficult to pull multiple workers off the floor at once to watch the video.
The DVD can get lost or scratched.
DVD can only train workers at a single location.
Due to the per person pricing format, it’s expensive for large companies that need to train hundreds or thousands of employees.
By far the most expensive training medium.
Administering refresher training as well as initial training for new employees can be a logistical nightmare.
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