Definitions

For purposes of this Plan, the following definitions from the OSHA Standard shall apply:

• “Blood” means human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood.
• “Biosafety Level” is level of containment for biohazardous materials. The CDC ranks Biosafety levels as 1-4, with 4 identifying the most stringent degree of containment and personal protection.
• “Biohazardous waste,” also called regulated waste, infectious waste or biomedical waste, is any waste containing infectious materials or potentially infectious substances such as blood. This includes liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials; contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed; items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling; contaminated sharps; and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.
• “Bloodborne pathogens”, “BBP” means pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• “Clinical laboratory” means a workplace where diagnostic or other screening procedures are performed on blood or other potentially infectious materials.
• “Contaminated,” means the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.
• “Contaminated laundry,” means laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain contaminated sharps.
• “Contaminated sharps” means any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not limited to, needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires.
• “DOSH” (the Division of Occupational Safety and Health) is part of the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and develops workplace safety & health rules.
• “Decontamination” means the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use, or disposal.
• “Engineering controls,” means controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, biosafety cabinets, etc.) that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogens hazard from the workplace.
• “Exposure incident” means a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result from the performance of a staff member’s duties.
• “Handwashing facilities” means a facility providing an adequate supply of running potable water, soap and single use towels or hot air drying machines.
• “HBV” means hepatitis B virus.
• “HCV” means hepatitis C virus.
• “HIV” means human immunodeficiency virus.
• “Occupational exposure” means reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee’s duties.
• “Other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)” means:
  (a) The following human body fluids: Semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any bodily fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;
  (b) Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead);
  (c) HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
• “Parenteral” means piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needlesticks, human bites, cuts, and abrasions.
• “Personal protective equipment (PPE)” is specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard. General work clothes (e.g., uniforms, pants, shirts, or blouses) not intended to function as protection against a hazard are not considered to be personal protective equipment.
• “Risk Group”: Risk group classifications are primarily used in the research environment as part of a comprehensive biosafety risk assessment.  Each country classifies the agents in that country by risk group based on pathogenicity of the organism, modes of transmission and host range of the organism. These may be influenced by existing levels of immunity, density and movement of host population presence of appropriate vectors and standards of environmental hygiene.  Risk groups correlate, but do not equate to biosafety levels.
• “Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections,” also called safer sharps means a non-needle sharp or a needle device used for withdrawing body fluids, accessing a vein or artery, or administering medications or other fluids, with a built-in safety feature or mechanism that effectively reduces the risk of an exposure incident.
• “Source individual” means any individual, living or dead, whose blood or other potentially infectious materials may be a source of occupational exposure to the employee. Examples include, but are not limited to, hospital and clinic patients; clients in institutions for the developmentally disabled; trauma victims; clients of drug and alcohol treatment facilities; residents of hospices and nursing homes; human remains; and individuals who donate or sell blood or blood components.
• “Sterilize,” means the use of a physical or chemical procedure to destroy all microbial life including highly resistant bacterial endospores.
• “Universal precautions” are an approach to infection control. According to the concept of universal precautions, all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens.
• “WISHA” (Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act) is analogous to federal OSHA, and is a statute which empowers the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries to create and enforce workplace safety and health regulations.
• “Work practice controls” means controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed (e.g., prohibiting recapping of needles by a two-handed technique).