Reprinted from the ACJ - July, 1996
I have never been accused of showing good taste when making jokes about the various subjects addressed in the Health Watch column. But even I know better than to crack wise about this month's topic, which is blood born pathogens, specifically HIV/AIDS.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) it causes are no laughing matter (although my attempt at explaining them may be).
One in 10 small companies
Currently, one in 250 people is HIV positive. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also states that by the year 2000, more than 40 million people will be HIV positive. It is the third leading cause of death among individuals age 25 to 44. Even in small companies (less than 500 employees) like most of our shops, one in 10 has had to deal with an HIV-positive employee.
In response to these numbers, OSHA issued its Blood Borne Pathogens (BBP) Standards in 1992. These regulations are written to address industry's responsibility to educate and protect its employees from accidental infection. The regulations are written somewhat generically and put the responsibility for assessment of your shop's specific hazards and the development of a company policy in your hands.
Developing a policy
All companies "reasonably anticipated" to see employee exposure to blood or other bodily fluids must comply. Just take a look at your own hands and it's easy to decide whether radiator and automotive repair involves potential exposure to some blood loss. I will leave it to you to decide on the bodily fluid exposure question in your own shop.
The OSHA standards are written in the "Employer Knows Best" style, so you will have to customize your policy to suit your business. Generally, your policy should address two topics.
First is a statement of what the plan intends to address. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) comes into play here because your plan's intent can't be something on the order of "Hire no HIV-positive folks, the end." ADA states that you can't ask if a potential employee is HIV-positive, nor can you require a pre-job-offer HIV test.
You must provide confidentiality for employees with HIV. You also cannot discriminate against HIV-positive employees in regards to health insurance coverage.
Policy intent
Perhaps more difficult than these aspects, the policy must outline your plan of attack as far as educating your employees on HIV/AIDS information and the expected behavior of employees around those infected. So as you can see the "Policy Intent" portion of the plan must be thought through and worded just so.
The second portion of the policy is somewhat more straightforward—like a corkscrew. You will need to address who will react to a fluid loss injury. "It's your turn" is not adequate. Issue "universal precautions when responding" such as to treat all blood and fluid as contaminated. Then outline procedures for response. Glove use, and the proper "inside out" removal technique we talked about last month, is one.
`Minimal contact'
Other "minimal contact" behavior should be outlined as well as use of a mouth protector when giving someone mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (didn't think of that one did you? Me neither). Realize that you have to supply the personal protective equipment necessary to respond properly.
Cleanup procedures are very important. Considerations include providing and using gloves, face shields, disinfectant sprays and cleaners for area and personnel cleanup, as well as red biohazard bags and biohazard labels for the waste. How to utilize this equipment and perform a "zero contact" cleanup should be part of the plan.
As with the Hazard Communication Standard put forth by OSHA, employee education on all aspects of your policy is required and essential. The best plan and equipment are useless if no one knows they exist. Maintaining records of the policy, employee education and confidential medical records is also required.
For more information…
More information on plan development and samples of other folks' plans are available from the CDC Business Responds to Aids resource center. The phone number is (800) 458-5231.
All you have to do is listen to the conversation at your local watering hole to realize that the average person, myself included, is terribly lacking in the hard, cold facts of HIV/AIDS infection, transmission and treatment. We owe it to ourselves, our relatives, friends and co-workers to learn more about HIV/AIDS.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825