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Protecting Oregon's Public Employees from Bloodborne Pathogens

Katie Vorderstrasse
4 days ago
3 min read

Why This Matters

Every day, Oregon’s city and county employees roll up their sleeves to keep their communities running — maintaining parks, responding to emergencies, managing waste, and so much more. Hidden within these duties is an invisible risk: exposure to bloodborne pathogens. A single puncture from a contaminated needle or contact with infected materials can have lifelong impacts.

What are Bloodborne Pathogens

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR OSHA) defines bloodborne pathogens as “pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)."

Exposure Determination

The first step in protecting employees from bloodborne pathogens is making exposure determinations. This includes identifying jobs or tasks that could involve contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.

A few examples of bloodborne pathogen exposures in public employment may include:

A park and rec employee picking up a needle in a playground.
A police officer or deputy spit on during booking.
A first responder exposed to bodily fluids while performing CPR.
A sanitation worker handling contaminated waste.
A police officer exposed to blood after restraining a combative suspect.
A public works employee cleaning up body fluids in a homeless camp.

This is not an exhaustive list of all possible bloodborne pathogen exposures, but it demonstrates the variety of exposures that can be present for public employees.

Other Potentially Infectious Materials

When considering Bloodborne Pathogen exposures, it’s easy to remember blood as a risk… because it’s in the name. You want to remember that exposures can come from “Other Potentially Infectious Materials” as well. OSHA defines Other Potentially Infectious Materials as follows:

(1) The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;

(2) Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and

(3) HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

Preventative Measures

Once exposure determinations are complete, preventative measures should be taken to protect those impacted employees. For a complete list of required safety measures, please review the OSHA bloodborne pathogen safety standard. Below are a few important safety protocols to highlight:

Hepatitis B Vaccination — Provide the vaccine to impacted employees within 10 days of assignment. The vaccination should occur during work hours at no cost to employees. If an employee chooses to opt out of the vaccination, they should sign a declination form to document that decision.
Training — Conduct training at the time of initial assignment and repeat annually, covering OSHA’s 14 required topics. It’s important to note that one of the requirements is for employees to have an opportunity for interactive questions and answers during the training, so employers should consider how Q&A will be incorporated if online training modules are utilized.
Exposure Control Plan — Share a copy of your entity’s Exposure Control Plan with employees, including information about universal precautions and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Post-Exposure Protocols

Despite precautions, exposures can still occur. If an employee has a bloodborne pathogen exposure on the job, it is critical that post-exposure protocols are followed. Examples include:

Wash the affected skin with soap and water or flush mucus membranes with water.
Seek medical attention and obtain prophylaxis treatment as needed.
Identify the source individual so that blood testing can be pursued in accordance with OAR 333-022-0300.

Call to Action

Employee safety is a shared responsibility, and preventing bloodborne pathogen exposures begins with awareness, preparation, and consistent safe practices. Review your entity’s Exposure Control Plan today and ensure vaccinations, training, and PPE are in place to protect the employees that do so much for our communities.

Hazards associated with houselessness

City and county employees may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens associated with tasks involving the unhoused population. The following resource from OSHA offers several safety considerations specific to these unique hazards: What employers need to know about hazards associated with houselessness.