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Home›Courses›Healthcare & Patient Safety›Bloodborne Pathogens: Standard Precautions in the Workplace

Bloodborne Pathogens: Standard Precautions in the Workplace

20 minutesEN / ES / MLCCHealthcare & Patient Safety29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
Quick Answer

Bloodborne Pathogens: Standard Precautions in the Workplace is a 20-minute online course that trains general industry employees on OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), including exposure risks, standard precautions, and response procedures for workplaces outside of healthcare. It is designed for employees with potential occupational exposure to blood or body fluids and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

OSHA estimates that 5.6 million workers across various occupations face risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. While healthcare workers face the highest frequency of exposure, employees in maintenance, janitorial services, schools, corrections, public safety, and manufacturing also encounter blood and other potentially infectious materials in the course of their duties. The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies to any employer whose workers have reasonably anticipated exposure, regardless of industry. Penalties for noncompliance reach $16,550 per serious violation and $165,514 per willful violation.

This course trains your employees on the fundamentals of bloodborne pathogen exposure prevention in non-healthcare settings. Your team will learn what bloodborne pathogens are, how transmission occurs in workplace scenarios, the standard precautions that prevent exposure, proper use of personal protective equipment, and what to do if an exposure incident occurs. The training is tailored to general industry workplaces where blood or body fluid contact may be incidental rather than routine.

What You'll Learn

  • What bloodborne pathogens are and how HBV, HCV, and HIV are transmitted in workplace settings
  • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requirements for all covered employers
  • Standard precautions and universal precautions for handling blood and body fluids
  • Personal protective equipment selection and proper use for exposure situations
  • Proper cleanup and decontamination procedures for blood and body fluid spills
  • Exposure incident response including immediate first aid, reporting, and medical follow-up
  • Hepatitis B vaccination requirements and the employee's right to decline

Who Needs This Training

  • Janitorial and custodial workers who clean restrooms and may encounter blood or body fluids
  • School teachers, administrators, and staff who may respond to student injuries
  • Correctional facility employees with potential exposure to inmate blood or body fluids
  • Manufacturing and warehouse workers designated as first-aid responders
  • Maintenance personnel who handle waste or clean up after workplace injuries
  • Supervisors responsible for implementing exposure control plans in general industry settings

Regulatory Background

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) applies to all employers with workers who have reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. This includes not only healthcare facilities but also schools, correctional institutions, janitorial services, emergency responders, and any workplace that designates first-aid providers. The standard requires written exposure control plans, annual training, hepatitis B vaccination offers within 10 days of assignment, engineering controls, and post-exposure medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. OSHA enforcement data from 2013 through 2025 shows that failure to establish written exposure control plans and failure to provide training are the most commonly cited violations. Serious violations carry penalties up to $16,550, and willful violations can reach $165,514.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The standard applies to any employer with employees who have reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. This includes schools, correctional facilities, janitorial services, plumbing companies, tattoo parlors, and any workplace that designates employees as first-aid providers. If an employee could encounter blood during their normal duties, the standard applies.
Yes. Any employer with employees who have reasonably anticipated exposure to blood must maintain a written exposure control plan. For workplaces with designated first-aid responders, the plan must cover those employees, ensure proper PPE is available, and provide for hepatitis B vaccination and post-exposure medical evaluation. The plan must be reviewed and updated annually.
The employee should put on appropriate PPE including gloves and, if splashing is possible, eye protection. The spill area should be cleaned with an EPA-registered disinfectant or a freshly prepared bleach solution of at least 1:10 dilution. Contaminated materials should be placed in labeled biohazard bags. The employee must wash hands thoroughly after removing gloves. Only trained employees should perform blood spill cleanup.
Universal precautions treat all human blood and certain body fluids as potentially infectious. Standard precautions expand on this concept to include additional infection prevention practices such as hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and safe injection practices. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires universal precautions at minimum, though standard precautions meet and exceed the requirement.
No. Under 29 CFR 1910.1030, employers must make the hepatitis B vaccination series available to employees with occupational exposure at no cost, but employees may decline by signing a specific declination form. The employer cannot make vaccination a condition of employment. However, if the employee later decides to accept, the employer must provide the vaccination at that time.

Related Courses

Employers in healthcare settings should consider Bloodborne Pathogens in Healthcare Settings for clinical-specific training. For a broader safety orientation, pair this course with First Aid: The Basics and Orientation: Safety in the Workplace to ensure employees are prepared for both exposure prevention and general emergency response.

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$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95
Language

This course is available in English, Spanish, and Multi-Language CC at no additional charge.

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

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$24.95
per person