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OSHA Requirements for Phlebotomists

Phlebotomists handle blood and other bodily fluids, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a set of guidelines every phlebotomist must follow.


Wash Hands

An employer must provide either an appropriate hand cleaner in conjunction with clean paper towels or antiseptic toilettes. Phlebotomists must wash their hands after removing gloves or other protective equipment. If a phlebotomist’s body comes into contact with blood or other potentially infected materials, she should wash the body part with soap and water and flush mucous membranes with water immediately.

Dispose of Sharp Objects

Phlebotomists must immediately place any used needles or other sharp objects in an appropriate container. The containers should be leak-proof on the sides and bottom, puncture-resistant, and labeled or color-coded in accordance with OSHA standards.

Avoid Food and Drink

The OSHA standards say, “eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics or lip balm, and handling contact lenses are prohibited in work areas where there is a reasonable likelihood of occupational exposure.” Food and drinks should also be kept in away from places where blood or other potentially infectious materials are present.


Don’t Splatter Blood

Phlebotomists must conduct all procedures in  a way as to minimize splashing, spraying, spattering and generating droplets of blood.

Dispose of Blood

Blood and other potentially infectious materials should be placed in proper containers for storage, transport or shipping.

Wear Personal Protective Equipment

Each phlebotomist should have and wear “gloves, gowns, laboratory coats, face shields or masks and eye protection and mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, pocket masks or other ventilation devices,” the OSHA regulations state. Protective equipment is only considered appropriate if “it does not permit blood or other potentially infectious materials to pass through to or reach the employee’s work clothes, street clothes, undergarments, skin, eyes, mouth, or other mucous membranes under normal conditions of use and for the duration of time which the protective equipment will be used.”

 

Phlebotomists must wear gloves when there’s a possibility the hands might come into contact with blood. Gloves should be replaced when contaminated, punctured or show signs of deterioration.

Care for Personal Protective Equipment

Phlebotomists should keep their personal protective equipment clean. If any garment is penetrated by blood, he should remove it immediately or as soon as possible. All protective equipment should be removed and properly stored before leaving the phlebotomist’s work area.

Clean Work Areas

Phlebotomists must keep all their work equipment clean and decontaminated, and they must store their equipment in appropriate containers.

According to OSHA recent release on Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention

Needlestick injuries and other sharps-related injuries which expose workers to bloodborne pathogens continues to be an important public health concern. Workers in many different occupations are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. First aid team members, housekeeping personnel in some settings, nurses and other healthcare providers are examples of workers who may be at risk of exposure.Bloodborne Pathogens is addressed in standards specifically for the general industry.

OSHA Standards

This section highlights the OSHA standard requirements, preambles to final rules (background to final rules), directives (instructions for compliance officers), and standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards) related to bloodborne pathogens and needlestick prevention.

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

Revisions to 1910.1030 as a result of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act:


Paragraph 1910.1030(d)(2)(i) requires the use of engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Employers must keep a Sharps Injury Log for the recording of percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps [1910.1030(h)(5)(i)].

The Exposure Control Plan (1910.1030(c)(1)(i)) shall:

Reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens [1910.1030(c)(1)(iv)(A)].

Document annually consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure [1910.1030(c)(1)(iv)(B)].

Solicit input from non-managerial employees responsible for direct patient care, who are potentially exposed to injuries from contaminated sharps, in the identification, evaluation, and selection of effective engineering and work practice controls and shall document the solicitation in the Exposure Control Plan [1910.1030(c)(1)(v)].

Appendix A, Hepatitis B vaccine declination (Mandatory).

Preambles to Final Rules

Needlestick Legislation

General Guidance

The following information provides discussion on the revised standard.

 For further details and more information on news and updates regarding OSHA policies, please visit,

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html