OSHA´s Regulatory And Enforcement Update

OSHA has announced that it will begin enforcing new provisions of its Bloodborne Pathogen Standard on July 17, 2001. The changes to the standard resulted from the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act which was signed into law on November 6, 2000. This Act was directed primarily at medical facilities. However, at least one provision of the recent changes to the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard applies to a much broader audience.

All employers who are required to maintain an OSHA 200 Log of Injuries and Illnesses are now also required to maintain a "Sharps Injury Log." The requirement for a Sharps Injury Log is far broader in applicability than the other changes to the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard because employers are required to record in the log all "percutaneous injuries [i.e., injuries which break the skin] from contaminated sharps." "Contaminated sharps" refers to "any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not