Bloodborne Pathogens

Work with Human Blood or Other Potentially Infectious Materials

All employees who may have occupational exposure to human blood, unfixed human tissues, human cell/tissue cultures, certain other body fluids or bloodborne pathogens must receive OSHA Required Bloodborne Pathogens Training before they initiate assignments with any of these materials.

Occupational exposure to human-derived blood and other body substances constitutes potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Federal and state laws require that any employee who is potentially exposed during the course of their assigned duties, on-the-job, must be offered specific protections to prevent such exposures and potential infections.

Standard Operating Procedures

Written SOP’s for their specific tasks involving blood and other related substances, training, protective equipment, immunization for those agents that have vaccines available, and post-exposure evaluation and follow-up plans are all required. 

Bloodborne Pathogen Training

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) standard ( 1910.1030) protects employees who work in occupations where they are at risk of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. If your research involved the handling of human blood, human tissue, human cell lines, or human body fluids and if you are taking the BBP training for the first time, please register for the in-person training offered by the WVU Biosafety Office. You can register for the in-person training at the following link  https://www.ehs.wvu.edu/biosafety/biosafety-training. The online training should be completed during normal business hours so that the biosafety officer will be available to answer any questions during the training (304) 293-7157.

OSHA requires the completion of the BBP annual refresher training. Completion of the online BBP training will meet the requirement of annual refresher BBP training. The annual refresher BBP training can be completed at:  SOLE https://sole.hsc.wvu.edu/ .

Exposure Control Plan

As part of the BBP training, the OSHA BBP standard mandates the employer to develop an exposure control plan document. The WVU BSO has posted the exposure control plan template document for your use. Intent of this plan is to provide the PIs and/or lab managers with an easy to use format that may be used as a template to develop a written exposure control plan. The document helps you to implement work procedure to prevent the exposure of bloodborne pathogens to the personnel that work in/for your laboratory. Click the link for
WVU Exposure Control Plan - Non-hospital . 

Hepatitis B Vaccination Acceptance or Denial Form

As a part of the BBP training, the OSHA and BBP standard mandates the employer to offer the free Hepatitis B Vaccination to employees. At the end of the BBP training, the trainees are required to sign the Hepatitis B Vaccination acceptance or denial form. The records should be maintained by the lab manager or the PI. Click this link for WVU’s Hepatitis B Vaccination Acceptance or Denial Form.

In the Event of Injury (Needlestick, Splash, Spill)

The healthcare facility that provides medical assistance, immunizations, and emergency care and post-exposure follow up for employees:

WVU Medicine Ruby Memorial Hospital Emergency Department