| Exposure to bloodborne pathogens is a great risk, especially when diseases like hepatitis B & C and HIV could lead to serious illnesses. Most healthcare employees and emergency first responders are at risk, but even those of you who don’t belong to this category but are simply responsible for administering first aid in the workplace can be at a great risk.
The most common exposure to bloodborne pathogens include needle pricks and cuts from sharp objects contaminated with another person’s blood. Any contact to the eye or cut skin with the contaminated blood or potential infectious bodily fluids can spread diseases like hepatitis and HIV.
However, a bigger problem with workplace exposure is that sometimes employees fail to report these incidents. According to studies, nearly half of all the employees fail to report needle prick injuries.
If these injuries are a threat to their lives, why do employees find it so reluctant to report it? According to NIOSH, employees have given numerous reasons for not reporting these kinds of exposures like:
* They don’t feel the seriousness of the exposure;
* They don’t think the exposure will give them any infection;
* They think the exposure is their fault;
* They were not wearing the proper PPE;
* Too embarrassed to admit the exposure;
* They think reporting takes up too much time;
* They think reporting these incidents would bring about a negative performance evaluation;
* Fear of losing their jobs;
* Think a mere washing off the blood or bodily fluids off the skin is sufficient enough to ward off the hazards;
* Not so certain whether the incidents could be considered as an exposure.
Why should employees report all bloodborne exposures? This is a question that should be taken very seriously. A stitch in time saves nine or prevention is better than cure. You can either take one of these proverbs with a pinch of salt or you can see the logic within them. First of all, reporting exposures to blood and infectious bodily fluids will help to protect your employees from serious harm. Reporting in time will help get medical treatment in time. Secondly, when you report these incidents, you will be able to identify the cause and prevent the accident from happening again. This will also keep your workers safe and keep the costs reduced in the long run.
To report the exposure to bloodborne pathogens is crucial but more than that eliminating the hazard is also another big step. Joining an OSHA safety training course will help your employees reduce the hazards related to bloodborne pathogens. The OSHA training courses have important topics on these subjects.
About the Author :
OSHA 30 Hour Trainings offers the highest quality 30 hour OSHA training course for construction and general industries. Online OSHA 30 hour training-courses fulfill the requirements to receive the 30 hour OSHA certification card from the Department of Labor. Visit us at: http://www.osha30hourtrainings.com |
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