Bloodborne Pathogens

Broken Glass with red blood on it.

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms that thrive in human blood and can cause disease in humans if blood-to-blood contact is made between infected and healthy individuals. Diseases of concern related to bloodborne pathogen infection include, but are not limited to:

Hepatitis B (HBV)
Hepatitis C (HCV)
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Needle sticks and other sharps-related injuries may expose workers to bloodborne pathogens. Workers in many occupations, including first responders, housekeeping personnel in some industries, law enforcement personnel, nurses and other healthcare personnel, all may be at risk for exposure.

To get more information on the applicability of this program for a specific County operation please contact the corresponding departmental Safety Coordinator.

For further information on specific regulatory guidelines please refer to the link(s) below.

Cal-OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Guidelines

Cal-OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens FAQ’s

Cal-OSHA Model Exposure Control Plan (PDF: 775 kB)