Compliance With Bloodborne Pathogen Standards at Eight Correctional Facilities
Publication: Journal of Correctional Health Care
Volume 18, Issue Number 1
Abstract
This study had three objectives: (a) to examine compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens (BBPs) Standard at eight correctional facilities, (b) to identify potential barriers to compliance, and (c) to discuss steps to address these barriers. Eight facilities of different sizes and locations were visited to examine employer adherence to 15 selected BBP risk reduction activities. Facility compliance was less than 50% for four activities: updating exposure control plans, implementing use of appropriate safer medical devices, soliciting employee input on selection of safer devices, and training medical staff when such devices are implemented. Inconsistent compliance may be due to difficulties in applying the standards in the correctional health care work setting. Any BBP training and health communication activities targeted to correctional health care workers should be tailored to the correctional facility setting.
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Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIOSH or CDC, or the policies of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). This project was approved by human subjects review boards of TDCJ (#450-RM04) and NIOSH (HSRB 04-DSHEFS-02XP). The research presented in this document was coordinated in part by TDCJ (Research Agreement # 450-RM04).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Correctional Health Care
Volume 18 • Issue Number 1 • January 2012
Pages: 29 - 44
PubMed: 22209817
Copyright
© NCCHC 2012.
History
Published in print: January 2012
Published online: 1 January 2012
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Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors disclosed no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. For information about JCHC’s disclosure policy, please see the Self-Study Exam.
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article from the US government.
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