{"id":5091,"date":"2020-06-08T15:10:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T15:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/?p=5091"},"modified":"2020-06-15T13:06:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T13:06:07","slug":"bloodborne-pathogen-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/bloodborne-pathogen-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect Your Employees: Bloodborne Pathogen Training Informs Workers About Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Approximately 5.6 million workers are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (the virus that causes AIDS), Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus.<\/div>\r\n
\u2014 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nRead that again: 5.6 million workers are at risk. That\u2019s a significant segment of the workforce.\r\n\r\nWhile public service and medical industry workers are at the highest risk, any employee in any working environment could be exposed to bloodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\nIt could be as simple as an accidental prick by an infected needle, exposure to blood following an onsite cut or injury, or contact with broken skin that contains contaminated blood. For example, an accidental slice while preparing a meal in the breakroom or an injury during a friendly game of basketball while on break could lead to an exposure situation.\r\n\r\nObviously, higher risk jobs \u2014 like medical, housekeeping, waste disposal, law enforcement, firefighters and first-responders \u2014 require proper bloodborne pathogen training, yet all companies would benefit from heightened awareness about how to prepare for and address possible exposure.\r\n

What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?<\/h2>\r\nBloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses, fungi and other agents in the blood or other bodily fluids that can cause illness and disease in people. Bloodborne pathogens appear in blood, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, and any bodily fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood.\r\n\r\nPathogens also could appear in living or dead human organs, as well as in diseased cells or HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions.\r\n\r\nWhen an employee encounters these pathogens, they run the risk of contracting a variety of diseases, including Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).\r\n\r\nGiven the wide range of possible exposure and the affect it can have on those infected, it\u2019s critical that at-risk positions take training seriously.\r\n

What is Bloodborne Pathogen Training?<\/h2>\r\nSince employee safety is the responsibility of both the business owner and the employee, it\u2019s important that you provide your entire staff with training that helps them understand the risk, how to avoid it and what to do in the event of exposure.\r\n\r\nSubjects that should be covered in training include:\r\n