All employees who incur an exposure will be offered post-exposure evaluation and follow-up in accordance with the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard. When an employee incurs an exposure, he/she should report to:
The evaluation and follow-up will include the following under the direction of the director of Occupational Medicine:
• Documentation of the route of exposure and the circumstances related to the incident.
• If possible, the identification of the source individual and, if possible, the status of the source individual. The blood of the source individual will be tested (after consent is obtained by the PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/ AREA SUPERVISOR) for HIV/HBV infectivity.
• Results of testing of the source individual will be made available to the exposed employee with the exposed employee informed about the applicable laws and regulations concerning disclosure of the identity and infectivity of the source individual.
• The employee will be offered the option of having blood collected for testing of his/her HIV/HBV serological status. The blood sampling will be preserved for at least 90 days to allow the employee to decide if the blood should be tested for HIV serological status. However, if the employee decides prior to that time that testing will be conducted then the blood sample will be discarded after the results are obtained.
• The employee will be offered post exposure prophylaxis in accordance with the current recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). For a copy of these recommendations, call EHRS at 215-898-4453.
• The employee will be given appropriate counseling concerning precautions to take during the period after the exposure incident. The employee will also be given information on potential signs and symptoms of illness and told to report these to Occupational Medicine, should they occur.
• Medical records will be obtained and kept in accordance with all applicable regulations.