Question

Which of the following does OSHA require employers to do to reduce employee’s risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens?

Answer 1

The revision includes new requirements regarding the employer's Exposure Control Plan, including an annual review and update to reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens. The employer must: take into account innovations in medical procedure and technological developments that reduce the risk of exposure (e.g., newly available medical devices designed to reduce needlesticks); and
document consideration and use of appropriate, commercially-available, and effective safer devices (e.g., describe the devices identified as candidates for use, the method(s) used to evaluate those devices, and justification for the eventual selection).No one medical device is considered appropriate or effective for all circumstances. Employers must select devices that, based on reasonable judgment:will not jeopardize patient or employee safety or be medically inadvisable; andwill make an exposure incident involving a contaminated sharp less likely to occur.