Exposure Determination

The Standard requires that each organization to assess whether or not employees are subject to occupational exposure* to blood associated pathogenic microorganisms without regard to personal protective clothing and equipment.

The exposure determination is made by reviewing job classifications within the work environment, and listing exposures into 2 groups. The first group includes job classifications in which all of the employees have occupational exposure, such as occupational health nurses, phlebotomists, researchers who work with human blood and blood cells, emergency response personnel, etc. Where all employees have occupational exposure, it is not necessary to list specific work tasks. The second group includes those classifications in which some of the employees have occupational exposure. Specific tasks and procedures causing occupational exposure must be listed. An example would be in a laboratory where some of the workers might be assigned the task of handling blood or other potentially infectious materials while other workers would not.

JOB CLASSIFICATIONS SPECIFIC TASKS & PROCEDURES

1.  Please list all employees and provide a brief description of their tasks/procedures.

* Occupational Exposure: Reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact (i.e., needle stick) with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee's duties.