POSTEXPOSURE MEASURES AND FOLLOW-UP

Emergency Steps Following an Accidental Exposure

If an occupational exposure to blood or other body fluids occurs, the following steps should immediately be taken:

  1. First wash needlestick injuries and open wounds with soap and water.
  2. Flush splashes to nose, mouth, or skin with water.
  3. If eyes were exposed, irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigant.
  4. Report the incident to the supervisor.
  5. Immediately seek medical treatment.
    (CDC, 2016)

Employer Follow-Up

Following an exposure incident, the employer is required to:

  • Perform a timely evaluation of the circumstances surrounding the exposure incident to find ways of preventing such a situation from occurring again
  • Identify the source individual (unless the employer can establish that identification is not possible or prohibited by state or local law) and determine the source’s HBV and HIV infectivity status
  • If the status of the source individual is not already known, test the source’s blood as soon as possible, provided the source individual consents
  • If the source individual does not consent to testing, establish that legally required consent cannot be obtained
  • If state or local law allows testing without the source person’s consent, test the individual’s blood, if it is available
  • Make results of the tests available to the exposed worker and inform the worker of the laws and regulations concerning disclosure of the source’s identity and infectivity status
  • Provide a timely written report of the above information

Medical care as the result of an exposure is provided by the employer at no charge to the healthcare worker. All test records are confidential. The healthcare worker must be given a copy of the healthcare professional’s written opinion within 15 days after the medical evaluation is finished. Postexposure prophylaxis may be administered if medically necessary, as recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service. The healthcare worker should also be offered counseling that includes recommendations for transmission and prevention of HIV (OSHA, 2012).