Updated forms fend off hazards

General Article

If you keep information current, required training will match your job

Job duties evolve and change throughout the year, and so do employees' workplace exposures.

That's why the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act's bloodborne pathogen standard requires annual updates of all employees' Hazard Exposure Assessment forms.

Incorrect or out-of-date HEA information is the number-one reason staff receive notices for training classes that are no longer pertinent to their position. An accurate and current HEA form minimizes hassle for all involved.

Most supervisors are familiar with the HEA form. When a manager intends to hire someone, the supervisor must fill out an Employment Requisition Form. The HEA form is on the bottom half of that form. It is a critical piece of data for the Environmental Health and Safety Department.

EH&S uses the information to flag specific staff for required training. Classes are designed to comply with current regulations, and more important, to maintain a safe environment for staff and patients.

For example, if an HEA form indicates that a staffer is exposed to blood and/or body fluids, that person will receive a notice to attend annual bloodborne pathogen training.

EH&S appreciates the attention that supervisors pay to the HEA form. However, a few exposure classifications need some clarification to increase accuracy.

• Radiation: A supervisor should indicate that a staff member is exposed to radiation only if that person will work directly with radioactive materials. A staffer is not considered to be exposed to radiation simply because other people in a lab work with radioactive materials.
• Blood/body fluid exposure: Any staffer who directly handles human blood and/or body fluids during the course of their work falls into this category, including lab workers or animal staff who handle animal blood, organs and tissues that may contain human bloodborne pathogens. It does not include those who handle or transport properly packaged blood or body fluids.
• Repetitive motion/ergonomics: This category includes lab workers who consistently pipette or use the microscope for more than six hours a day and office workers who consistently type for at least four hours a day.
• Incidental or direct contact with patients: This includes staff who meet and greet patients, along with Clinical Research Division staff. Most clinical receptionists, nurses, physician's assistants, physicians, and clinical technicians fall into this category, as do materiel and mail carriers who enter patient areas, even if only for a short time.

With the valuable cooperation of supervisors and employees, EH&S aims to make properly identifying the training that you need a breeze.

[Denise Koch is the ergonomic specialist and training coordinator in the Environmental Health and Safety Department.]

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