Sharps Safety and Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure (OSHA)
After a needlestick or splash: wash or flush right away, report immediately, and the employer must provide a confidential medical evaluation and follow-up at no cost to you.
Exposure incident: what to do
- Skin or wound: wash with soap and water immediately or as soon as feasible.
- Eyes, nose or mouth: flush with water immediately or as soon as feasible.
- Report the incident to your supervisor right away and follow your facility's exposure control plan.
- The employer documents the route of exposure and how the incident happened.
- The source individual is identified (unless infeasible or prohibited by law) and their blood is tested for HBV and HIV as soon as feasible after consent.
- Your blood is collected and tested after your consent. If you consent to collection but not yet to HIV testing, the sample is kept at least 90 days.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis is given when medically indicated. For HIV, start PEP as soon as possible, up to 72 hours after the exposure, and do not delay it while waiting for the source patient's HIV status (2025 U.S. Public Health Service guideline).
- You receive counseling and evaluation of any illness you report.
Preview only. 1 more items in this section. The full sheet also covers: Sharps rules (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030); Employer duties and record times.
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogens · Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Clinical Nursing Skills, 6.4 Infection Control and Patient Safety (fact check only) · OpenStax (Rice University)
- 2025 US Public Health Service Guidelines for the Management of Occupational Exposures to Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Recommendations for Post-exposure Prophylaxis in Healthcare Settings. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2025 (doi:10.1017/ice.2025.10254; full text read on PMC in round 2) · U.S. Public Health Service / SHEA, via PubMed Central