Why do I need to learn about the risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens?

OSHA estimates more than 5.6 million workers are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. All occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) place workers at risk for infection with bloodborne pathogens.

Workers in many different occupations are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. First aid team members, housekeeping personnel in some settings, nurses and other healthcare providers are examples of workers who may be at risk of exposure.

Go to the first module!

To begin your online study, just click on the "Modules" link above. To study off-line, click on the "Study Guide" link above and download the PDF study guide. Download Adobe Reader to open the study guide. The study guide is for your personal use only.

Modules

To begin your training, click on the module links below. If you are just starting this course, you should start with module 1.

1. What are Bloodborne Pathogens?
2. Specific Bloodborne Pathogens
3. Transmitting Bloodborne Pathogens
4. Your Employer's Exposure Control Plan
5. Recognize The Potential For Exposure
6. Exposure Control Methods
7. Personal Protective Equipment
8. Hepatitis B (HBV) Immunization
9. When An Exposure Occurs
10. Housekeeping
11. Communicating A Hazard

Please login to your student dashboard to access and download this FREE course PDF studyguide. You can save this study guide to your computer for offline studying, or print the study guide if you prefer.

Course 655 Final Exam

After studying the course material and answering the quiz questions, it is time to take the final exam. We highly recommend answering the module quiz questions to check your understanding of the course material. The final exam questions are typically developed from these quiz questions.

OSHAcademy course final exams are designed to make sure students have gained a sufficient understanding of the content covered within each course. To help demonstrate this understanding, students must achieve a passing score on course final exams. It is OSHAcademy's policy to protect the integrity of our exams: as a result, we do not provide missed questions to students.

This is an open book exam. Students are permitted to use a separate browser window to review course content while taking the exam. If you do not pass a final exam, you will see a "Retake Exam" button next to the course on your student dashboard.

If you have already paid for your certificate

If you have already paid for certificates, your exam score will be displayed on your student dashboard after successfully passing the final exam. If you chose PDF certificates, you can view and print your certificate and personal transcript from your student dashboard. If you chose original printed documents, they will be prepared and mailed to the address in your student account.

If you only want free training

OSHAcademy provides free access to all training materials, including course modules, practice quizzes, exercises, and final exams. However, exam scores, certificates, and transcripts are provided only if you purchase a certificate package to document your training. If you do not require official training documentation, we will archive your exam results should you decide to purchase official certificates later.

Please Note: If you need to retake this course for an annual refresher, please contact our office.

Take the Final Exam

Citations

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.

2. Hepatitis B Foundation. (2018). Hepatitis B Fast Facts.

3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). About HIV/AIDS.

4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Hepatitis B Questions and Answers for the Public.

5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Statistics and Surveillance.

6. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Basic Statistics.

7. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Occupational HIV Transmission and Prevention Among Health Care Workers.

8. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). The ABCs of Hepatitis.

9. World Health Organization. (2017). Hepatitis C.

10. World Health Organization. (2014). Post-Exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent HIV Infection.

11. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (1999). Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Healthcare Settings.

12. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Hepatitis B Vaccine.

13. National Vaccine Information Center. (2016). How Effective is Hepatitis B Vaccine?

14. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2011). Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Incidents.

Additional Resources

• OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Page, OSHA
• Frequently Asked Questions Page, OSHA
• Bloodborne Pathogens Fact Sheet, OSHA
• Bloodborne Pathogens Model Programs, OSHA
• Preventing Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens, CDC
• Bloodborne Pathogens eTool, CDC
• Revisions to Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, OSHA
• Reducing Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens