A recently made known compliance d...

A recently made known compliance directive for enforcing bloodborne pathogens standards has been released by means of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), according to a Nov 28 2001 just discovereds release from the organization. The aim of the directive is to guide OSHA safety and health inspection officers in enforcing bloodborne pathogens standards. These standards address occupational aspect to blood and other potentially infectious materials, and the directive make sures that officers follow consistent inspection procedures

This directive updates a 1999 directive and incorporates changes made through the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which was passed in November 2000 The directive implements changes made to the standard, including requiring that employer pitch upon safer needle devices when they become available and involve employee in identifying and selecting as it is devices.

The directive highlights major modern requirements of the standard, including

* evaluating and implementing safer needle devices as part of reevaluating appropriate engineering restrains during an employer's annual aspect control plan,

* documenting the involvement of nonmanagerial, frontline employee in choosing safer devices, and

* establishing and maintaining a sharps injury log for recording injuries from contaminated sharps.

The directive reminds compliance officers that no united safer medical device is appropriate for all situations and that employer must consider and implement devices that are appropriate, commercially available, and effective. It also contains instructions forward inspecting multiemployer worksites (eg, office agencies, personnel services, home health services, independent practices).

The directive includes engineering direction evaluation forms, a web site resource list, and an in all senses control plan that incorporates the most numerous current guidelines from the Center for Disease superintend and Prevention regarding management of occupational outlook to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. The directive can be accessed at http://www.osha-slc .gov/OshDoc/Directive_data/CPL_2-2_69.html.

Compliance Directive for Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Updated (new release, Washington, DC: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nov 28 2001) http://www.osha.gov/media/oshnews/nov01/ trade-20011128.html (accessed 29 Nov 2001)

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