Following a recordable sharps injury, the employee should report as soon as possible to a health care provider for a confidential post-exposure evaluation and follow-up. This evaluation and follow-up is available at no cost to PLU employees and must include these elements:
- Documentation of the routes of exposure, and the circumstances under which the exposure incident happened;
- Identification and documentation of the source individual, unless you can establish that identification is infeasible or prohibited by state or local law
- Collection and testing of blood to detect the presence of HBV and HIV
- Post-exposure preventive treatment, when medically indicated, as recommended by the United States Public Health Service
- Counseling
- Evaluation of reported illnesses.
If the employee does not give consent for HIV serological testing during collection of blood for baseline testing, the health care provider shall preserve the baseline blood sample for at least 90 days; if the exposed employee elects to have the baseline sample tested during this waiting period, testing shall be performed as soon as feasible.
PLU must provide all of the following information to the health care professional evaluating an employee after an exposure incident:
- A copy of WAC 296-823-160
- A description of the job duties the exposed employee was performing when exposed
- Documentation of the routes of exposure and circumstances under which exposure occurred
- Results of the source person’s blood testing, if available
- All medical records that PLU maintains, including vaccination status, relevant to the appropriate treatment of the employee.
PLU shall obtain and provide to the employee a copy of the evaluating health care professional’s written opinion within 15 days of the completion of their evaluation, and maintain these records in a confidential manner for the duration of employment, plus 30 years.