This lesson explains the general framework. Verify the rules and requirements that apply to your state, employer, laboratory, payer, insurance arrangement and service model.
The seven-part program
A professional business needs a safety system before the first employee performs a draw — not after the first incident demonstrates that it was missing.
Know when the OSHA standard applies
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard applies to occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Employers with employees who have occupational exposure must establish a written Exposure Control Plan.
Use engineering and work-practice controls
Use safer devices and work practices designed to reduce exposure. Universal precautions are part of the OSHA framework, not an optional layer on top of it.
PPE and housekeeping
Provide and use appropriate PPE, and follow safe decontamination and disposal processes matched to the actual exposure risk of the task.
Hepatitis B vaccination
For covered employees with occupational exposure, OSHA requires the employer to make hepatitis B vaccination available under the conditions set out in the standard.
Exposure response
After a reported exposure incident, covered employers must make confidential post-exposure evaluation and follow-up immediately available according to the standard. “Immediately” is the operative word.
Training and records
Covered employers must provide required training and maintain applicable records. A sharps injury log is required for employers subject to that recordkeeping requirement.
Mobile-specific safety
Working in homes adds pets, clutter, poor lighting, driving, unpredictable people and limited environmental control — hazards a fixed draw station simply does not have.
Common mistakes
The first and third are the ones that turn an incident into a crisis, because both are discovered at the worst possible moment.
- No written exposure plan where one is required
- Recapping needles or improvising sharps handling
- No post-exposure pathway defined in advance
- Treating a safety video as the whole program
- Ignoring home-environment hazards
Where XpediPro fits
XpediPro supports assignment and appointment visibility, which matters for knowing where field staff are expected to be. It does not replace an Exposure Control Plan, PPE, safer devices, training or post-exposure response — those are separate obligations that sit with the employer.
See how XpediPro worksAction checklist
6 things to settle before moving on to Lesson 22.
0 of 6 complete
FAQs
Does this OSHA rule apply to a solo owner with no employees?
OSHA employer obligations require analysis of the actual employment structure. Do not automatically apply employee requirements to every sole proprietor, and do not assume they never apply either.
What should happen after a needlestick?
Follow the company exposure procedure and applicable post-exposure medical evaluation requirements immediately. The pathway should already be written down and known before it is needed.
