Gardner-Webb University Department of Athletics
Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan Purpose
In compliance with OSHA Standards, this exposure control plan is intended to eliminate or minimize exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material (OPIM) to faculty, staff, and students.
Affected Job Classification
The at-risk job function is assisting student-athletes or other staff persons who need First Aid treatment. The persons providing this function will be defined as a First Responder. The following positions include all employees and students who have the potential for occupational exposure to blood or OPIM due to job functions and all are offered training in First Aid, CPR, and AED:
Head Coaches
Assistant and Volunteer Coaches
Graduate Assistants with Coaching Responsibilities Athletic Trainers
Strength and Conditioning Coach Athletic Training Students
Employees in these positions are provided with initial and annual Bloodborne Pathogen training. Initial training will take place within 30 days of a new staff members’ hire date. Annual training will take place each year as a recertification course. A member of the Athletic Training Staff will provide the training. In addition to Bloodborne Pathogen training, designated professional staff are requested to obtain current First Aid/CPR/AED certification, while the Athletic Training Staff will be certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer. This training will be offered to the athletic department
employees described above by a member of the athletic training staff.
Engineering Controls
“Engineering Controls” are practices and items designed to isolate or keep blood and OPIM away from the staff and others. All engineering controls must be utilized and well maintained at all times. The following are engineering controls from the Department of Athletics staff:
1) Hand washing facilities are readily available throughout the campus and will be used immediately by all employees’ exposed to blood or other OPIM or as soon as feasible after removal of gloves or other protective equipment. As an alternative, antiseptic hand sanitizer will be available at all times for contests, practices, or conditioning sessions at fields and contest sites where running water is not available.
2) All sharp objects contaminated with blood or OPIM must be discarded in a Sharps Container that is leak proof, puncture resistant, properly labeled, kept upright throughout use, replaced routinely, closed when moved, and not allowed to be overfilled. Sharps containers are stored in the Athletic Training Rooms located in the Lutz-Yelton
Convocation Center (LYCC) room 130 or in The Football Center Room 132. Reusable contaminated sharps disposal containers should never be manually opened, emptied, or cleaned.
3) Biohazard containers/bags are available in the Athletic Training Room for materials that have become contaminated with blood or OPIM. Grossly soaked items are to be discarded in double biohazard bags. They are constructed to be leakproof and closable. Biohazard bags are stored in the Athletic Training Rooms, LYCC 130 or The Football Center Room 132.
71 Work Practice Controls
Latex or hypo-allergenic gloves shall be worn for all tasks where there is likelihood of exposure to blood or other OPIM (i.e., contact with blood, bodily fluids, mucous membranes, or skin with open wounds or exposed rashes, and for contact with items or surfaces soiled with blood or OPIM). After treatment, disposable and reusable equipment shall be placed in separate biohazard containers/bags kept on the sideline/benches. The biohazard containers/bags will remain on the sidelines/benches until after the contest when they will be removed and stored for proper decontamination or disposal, whichever is appropriate.
When hand washing facilities are not available, hands must be cleansed with an antiseptic hand sanitizer immediately after gloves are removed. Hands shall then be thoroughly washed with soap and water as soon as possible.
Other means to reduce the likelihood of exposure are to restrict eating and drinking in potentially contaminated areas, preventing the storage of food or beverages in refrigerators or other locations where blood or other potentially infectious materials are kept, and be sure to remove personal protective equipment before leaving the contaminated areas.
Personal Protective Equipment
It is recommended by the Athletic Training Staff that each First Responder have readily available at an athletic site: A Breathing Barrier, Disposable Gloves, Gauze, Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer, as well as other assorted athletic training items to include but not limited to Band-Aids, assorted bandages, and tape.
The sites will have the following items on the home sidelines/bench: biohazard container/bag, disposable gloves and other appropriate protective equipment, and disinfectant solution.
Additionally, containers for used sharp objects shall be located in areas at contests where sharps are used. Additional personal protective equipment, such as goggles, and face shields will be available from the Athletic Training Room of the LYCC, Room 130 or The Football Center.
Regulated Waste Disposal
1) Disposable protective equipment and other contaminated materials must be disposed of properly in biohazard labeled bags and must not be reused.
2) Used biohazard bags are disposed in a biohazard collection container with a biohazard warning label as specified in the R 35.70012. The biohazard collection container is stored in a storage room of the LYCC laundry facility and in a storage room in the Football Center Athletic Training Room, Room 132, which is isolated away from patrons.
3) A Sharps container is located in the Athletic Training Room of the LYCC or the Football Center Room 132 for the storage of needles, glass, razor blades, etc. prior to disposal. 4) A designee of the Athletic Training Staff will notify the Physical Plant to pick up biohazard
collection containers when full.
Hepatitis and Hepatitis B Vaccination
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver from any cause. The Hepatitis B virus is isolated in a variety of bodily fluids including saliva, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebral spinal fluid, pleural fluid, breast milk, synovial fluid, gastric juice, urine, or feces. The most common mode of transmission is percutaneous (through the skin) or via exposure to the mucous membrane. It can also be acquired from heterosexual intercourse (41%), mother to infant at birth, sharing IV Drug Needles, blood transfusions, and unfortunately 26% of those infected have no known source of infection.
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Vaccination against Hepatitis B stimulates the body’s immune defenses and protects most people well. Vaccination is especially important for people at risk of contracting Hepatitis B, though it isn’t effective once the disease is established. For these various reasons, universal vaccination of all people against Hepatitis B is being increasingly recommended. People who have not been vaccinated and who are exposed to Hepatitis may receive an antibody preparation (immune serum globulin) for protection.
All employees who have been identified as having potential exposure to blood or OPIM (category A employees) will be offered the Hepatitis B Vaccine at no cost to themselves. Employees will be given the opportunity to accept or decline the Hepatitis B Vaccination. If the employee chooses to decline the vaccine, he/she must sign a declination form. If the employee chooses to receive the vaccination, he/she must report to the Athletic Training Staff so that appropriate actions can be followed to set up and receive the Hepatitis B immunization. Employees who initially decline the vaccine but who later wish to have it may then have the vaccine provided at no cost to them. Employees who have not previously received the Hepatitis B Vaccine/ shall be offered the vaccine within 24 hours after the first exposure incident as per R325.70013 (5-8). If the employee has previously had the vaccine, the regular exposure procedures will be followed.
Exposure Prevention Techniques
To protect the skin from exposure, latex or hypo-allergenic gloves must be worn when touching blood, OPIM or skin with open wounds or exposed rashes. For proper glove removal, partially
remove the first glove. Pinch the glove at the wrist, being careful to touch only the glove’s outside
surface. Pull the glove toward the fingertips without completely removing it. The glove is now partially inside out. Remove the second glove. With the partially gloved hand, pinch the outside surface of the second glove. Pull the second glove toward the fingertips until it is inside out, and then remove it completely. Finish removing both gloves. Grasp both gloves with your free hand. Touch only the clean interior surface of the glove. After removing both gloves, discard the gloves in an appropriate container and wash your hands thoroughly.
Following contamination with blood or OPIM, hands must be washed immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. Hands must be washed immediately after gloves are removed, even if gloves appear to be intact. Glove disposal is mandatory and gloves may not be reused. If a garment or other material is penetrated by blood or OPIM, it shall be removed immediately or as soon as feasible and placed in the proper biohazard container/bag. Other surfaces that are contaminated must be
disinfected with an approved disinfectant solution.
Physical Plant/Housekeeping will be contacted to clean up blood and OPIM on floors, stairs, sinks and other structural surfaces properly. Non-designated Athletics Personnel should not clean up blood or OPIM spills. .
Blood spills, vomitus or other bodily fluid spills that occur on a hard surface such as a bench or court floor shall be cleaned up promptly with an approved disinfectant solution. The surface should then be wiped with a 1:10 bleach solution before play resumes. Potentially infectious spills that occur on a dirt or grassy playing field or sideline shallbe saturated with water or another approved liquid and/or scooped up and disposed of in a properly labeled biohazard container/bag.
Any member of the athletic department who is involved in an accident or injury where blood or OPIM is present are to be assisted by Athletics Personnel or Campus Police who are properly trained in First Aid. If, as a result of an incident, the floor or furnishing becomes contaminated with blood or OPIM, the staff shall isolate the area involved and immediately notify the Athletic Training Staff or Physical Plant to perform appropriate clean up.
73 Exposure Incident
If an athletics personnel experiences a bodily exposure to blood or OPIM, he or she must immediately wash the exposed site with soap and water. Remove the personal protective equipment and wash the exposed site again with soap and water. The exposed site shall be thoroughly disinfected with
betadine or another type of appropriate skin disinfectant. Follow precautions to minimize exposure of other persons to blood or OPIM. Notify the Director of Athletic Training or designee of the incident. The employee must obtain the appropriate forms and report to an approved healthcare provider within 24 hours. This will be set up by the Director of Human Resources or appointed designee. An
Incident Form must be completed by the supervisor for any exposure incident. All records from the medical personnel must be kept in a confidential file in the Athletic Training Room or in the Office of Human Resources. It is extremely important to follow all post exposure recommendations made by medical personnel.
1. Document the routes of exposure and the manner in which exposure occurred. 2. Identify and document the source individual, unless the employer can establish that
identification is infeasible or prohibited by state or local law.
3. Obtain consent and test source individual’s blood as soon as possible to determine HIV and HBV infectivity, and document the source’s blood test results. If consent is not obtained, the employer must show that legally required consent could not be obtained. 4. If the source individual is known to be infected with either HIV or HBV, testing need not
be repeated at this time to determine the known infectivity.
5. Provide the exposed employee with the source individual’s test results and with information about applicable disclosure laws and regulations concerning the source identity and infectious status.
6. After obtaining consent, collect exposed employee’s blood as soon as feasible after the exposure incident and test blood for HBV and HIV serological status.
7. If the employee does not give consent for HIV serological testing during the collection of blood for baseline testing, preserve the baseline blood sample for at least 90 days. If during this time the exposed employee elects to have the baseline sample tested, testing shall be done as soon as is feasible.
8. Provide HBV and HIV serological testing, counseling, and safe and effective post- exposure prophylaxis according to the current recommendations of the United States Public Health Service.
The employer must give the following materials to the health care professional who is responsible for the employee’s HBV vaccination and post-exposure evaluation and follow-up:
1. Copy of the OSHA standard
2. Description of job duties of the employee that is relevant to the exposure incident.
3. Circumstances of exposure
4. Results of the source individual’s blood tests
5. All relevant employee medical records, including vaccination status
How to Clean Contaminated Surfaces:
Use the following procedures to clean up blood or fluids from contaminated floors, mats, or other surfaces:
1. Use disposable paper towels to wipe the blood/fluids up off the surface. Place the towels in a biohazardous waste bag.
2. Spray the contaminated area with a 1:10 bleach solution from a squirt bottle. Use liberal amounts of solution to ensure that the entire area has been disinfected. Place these towels in the biohazardous waste bag.
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3. Use disposable paper towels to clean the area with the bleach solution. Allow the area to completely dry before competition continues. A dry cotton floor towel may be used at this point to speed up the drying process.
4. Place the contaminated materials in the biohazardous waste bag.
Documentation
The Athletic Training Department will maintain copies of all Incident Report Forms relating to Athletics Department Personnel. Copies of the following will be sent to the Department of Human Resources:
1. A list of exposure incidents.
2. An annual review of the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan including the date, any changes and the names of those reviewing.
3. A copy of attendance records for all training sessions.
4. Immunization/Declination forms for Hepatitis B vaccinations.
Initial Training
The Athletic Training Program will provide training annually for ATSs. This training typically occurs at the beginning of the year student in-service. The training will include: explanation of the
Department of Athletics’ Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan, discussion of OSHA Regulations and Standards, how infections occur, description of serious communicable diseases, information on the Hepatitis B vaccination, describing universal precautions, engineering and work practice controls, and what to do if an exposure occurs.
Annual Review
The Athletic Training Program will conduct an annual review of the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan. This review will include a discussion of any exposure incidents that occurred in the preceding year, a document recording the key element of discussion, any changes made to the Exposure Control Plan, and a record of those in attendance will be kept. The revised Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan must be forwarded to Human Resources Department.