It is estimated that every year, about 3 million people are exposed to bloodborne infections.
Is your employer requesting that you wipe up bloodstains? Just the information above suggests how risky this might be. Is it possible for an employer to force you to clean up blood?
Usually, the quick response is no.
Before they may ask an employee to clean up after something like a blood spill, companies must adhere to specific procedures. Yes, they can ask a staff member to clean after a blood spill if they have given them the proper training and supplies.
But if these prerequisites haven’t been handled, they will be in violation of OSHA’s guidelines for cleaning up bodily fluids, including blood.
General Duty at OSHA
OSHA’s General Duty provision mandates that employers in the US give their workers safe and healthy workplaces. This ought to be devoid of any significant risks.
Blood includes a variety of harmful diseases; therefore, employers must wipe up any spills as soon as possible. That being said, they shouldn’t ask any employee to complete this work because doing so would put them in danger.
Not all blood spills and muddy footprints can be cleaned up the same way. Employers cannot just ask you to clean up a mess with a bucket and mop.
If a boss desires that a worker do blood cleanup, they must first provide them the appropriate instruction in blood cleanup. Additionally, either contact Jersey City NJ Biohazard Removal, or they must provide the worker with the appropriate safety gear.
Blood-borne Pathogens under OSHA
Bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms found in human blood that have the potential to cause illness, according to OSHA. The most prevalent bloodborne pathogens are HIV, MRSA, Clostridium difficile, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
In addition to these five, a wide range of additional infections, including parasites, can spread through blood contact.
OSHA created the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard because of the potential for harmful pathogens to be carried by and spread through human blood.
Bloodborne Pathogen Standard by OSHA
A collection of rules for shielding employees from health risks associated with bloodborne pathogens is known as the OSHA Blood Pathogen Standard.
These recommendations specify the actions that employers ought to take when workers come into contact with products or fluids that might be contagious.
The main actions that employers need to take are:
- Putting together a plan for exposure control
- Supplying personal protection equipment (PPE) to workers
- Applying general safety measures (i.e., handling blood or other body fluids as if they contain germs)
- Granting access to immunizations following exposure
Every company should first have a documented strategy in place that outlines the dangers of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. It ought to include a list of the work positions with the highest exposure to hazards in addition to highlighting possible dangers.
This paper should, in essence, explain who may be exposed to bloodborne infections and why.
Companies should maintain this strategy up to date by updating it annually.
The OSHA Blood Pathogen second step protecting employers is standard procedure to outfit workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) when they handle blood cleaning or come into touch with body fluids.
Maintenance, repairs, and replacements of this equipment are also necessary. Employers are responsible for paying for all PPE.
In addition to giving workers safety gear, businesses have to take general safety measures. This implies that every instance of exposure to blood or bodily fluids should be handled as though infections were present. This is comparable to the idea of handling every firearm as though it were loaded.
Not to mention, following exposure to blood-borne infections, businesses are required by OSHA regulation to vaccinate their staff against hepatitis B. These vaccinations must happen ten days following exposure.
Employee Rights and Recommendations When Asked to Clean Up Blood
Among their many rights are the provision of safety gear and appropriate training. You have the right to express any concerns you may have about hazardous working (https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/types-of-hazards-in-the-workplace/) circumstances, and training should be provided in a language you can understand.
You have the right to refuse an assignment that is dangerous or not part of your work description if it is requested of you by a management or employer.
Therefore, you have every right as an employee to decline to do blood cleanup if it is not part of your responsibilities or if you have not acquired the necessary training or equipment. Furthermore, since you have the freedom to labor under your own terms, your employer cannot terminate you for saying no.
You should raise your worries about the safety dangers if your employer requests that you wipe up blood. You may also let them know about the obligation companies have to offer workers who will be performing blood cleaning training and safety gear.
