Policy Text
Page 1 of 26 26/07 (REV 02/05)
Bloodborne Pathogens Disease Tran smission Prevention Program
The purpose of this General Order i s to provide an effective bl oodborne pathogens
disease transmission prevention program, hereinafter referred t o as the exposure
control plan or plan. Research has shown that blood a nd certain body fluids may pose the risk of infecting
some department employees with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis B
virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus ( HCV), and other b loodborne path ogens.
The intent of this plan is to:
Identify those employees who ma y be “At Risk” for occupational exposure to
bloodborne pathogens;
Reduce risks by using appropriate engineering and administrati ve exposure to
bloodborne pathogens;
Observe and enforce the use of universal precautions;
Provide vaccinations to employees; and
Provide employees with current i nformation and periodic traini ng.
Additional provisions of this pl an establish procedures for emp loyees who become
exposed to blood or other potent ially infectious material (OPIM ).
I. Authority
A. Provisions of this plan hav e the authority of the Sheriff, and are
implemented and enforced by the established chain-of-command wi thin
the Sheriff’s Department.
II. General
A. A copy of this plan and o f the bloodborne pathogen standard (T-8 CCR
§5193) is available to all employee s, and to employee represent atives
upon request.
B. A copy of this plan will be made available upon request to a ny
representative of Cal/OSHA or NIOSH.
Page 2 of 26 26/07 (REV 02/05)
C. Appendix A is the ma ndated Hepatitis B vaccination form as r equired by
T-8 CCR §5193 (Form 7400-185 Rev 02/00).
D. Appendix B is the Post Expos ure Checklist (Form 7400-186 A-B Rev
02/00).
E. Appendix C is the Sharps Inju ry Log (Form 7400-187 Rev 02/00 ).
III. Responsibilities
A. County Safety Representative
1. The County safety representat ive is the administrator of thi s
exposure control plan. Working with the Undersheriff, the Count y
safety representative is respons ible for the following function s:
a. Annual review of the expos ure control plan, and
b. Coordination of the efforts of the other persons responsible
for the implementation of t he exposure control plan.
B. Division Commander
1. The commander of each divi sion is responsible for the
implementation and enforcement of the exposure control plan in
their respective division, incl uding, but not limited to ensuri ng that:
a. Employees adhere to safe work practices. b. The proper personal protectiv e equipment is available to
employees with occupational exposure.
c. Exposure incidents are pr operly documented and that
injury/illness incident reports are forwarded through the chain of command.
C. Supervisor
1. The immediate supervisor of an employee with occupational
exposures is responsible for the following functions:
a. Informing the employee regardi ng the job hazards, safe work
practices, engineering contro ls, and personal protective
equipment specific to the em ployee’s job assignment.
b. Informing the employee of t he proper procedure for reporting
an exposure incident, unsafe c ondition, or unsafe practice.
Page 3 of 26 26/07 (REV 02/05) c. Ensuring compliance with sa fe work practices and the
observance of universal precautions.
d. Documenting exposure inc idents on the post-exposure
checklist in Appendix B (Fo rm 7400-186 Rev 02/00) in
addition to the injury/illness incident reporting requirements of General Order 26/03.
e. Documenting exposure inciden ts involving sharp objects on
the Sharps Injury Log (Appen dix C, Form # 7400-187).
f. Initiating immediate post-exposure treatment within 24
hours.
D. Employees
1. Each employee who has occupat ional exposure is responsible f or
the following functions:
a. Adhering to safe work pract ices and observing universal
precautions.
b. Using the appropriate pers onal protective equipment when
exposure to blood or OPIM can be anticipated.
c. Immediately reporting any exp osure incident to his/her
supervisor.
d. Documenting exposure inciden ts involving sharp objects on
the Sharps Injury Log (A ppendix C, Form #7400-187).
E. The Training, Planning and Rese arch Division is responsible for the
following functions:
a. Development and implementatio n of the initia l and annual
update training required by this proposal.
b. Maintaining records for each employee of all training relate d
to this program.
F. Department Safety Committee
1. The safety committee as def ined in General Order 26/04 is
responsible for the following functions:
a. Reviewing and evaluating em ployee exposure incidents.
b. Making recommendations regarding:
Page 4 of 26 26/07 (REV 02/05) (1) Engineering, administrativ e or work practice controls
to reduce potential exposure incidents.
(2) Annual review of the expos ure control plan to respond
to information indicating t hat the plan is deficient in
any area.
(3) Purchase and use of the