Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State

Bloodborne Pathogens Chapter 296-823, WAC

Effective Date: 09/01/04

 

WAC 296-823-170 Records

For printing

Your Responsibility:

To obtain and maintain required records

You must

Establish and maintain medical records	WAC 296-823-17005
Maintain a sharps injury log	WAC 296-823-17010

 

WAC 296-823-17005

Establish and maintain medical records

You must

• Establish and maintain an accurate medical record for each employee with occupational exposure
• Make sure this record includes all of the following that apply:
• – Name and Social Security number of the employee
• – A copy of the employee's hepatitis B vaccination status, including the dates of all the hepatitis B vaccinations
• – Any medical records related to the employee's ability to receive vaccinations
• – The HBV declination statement
• – A copy of all results of examinations, medical testing, and follow-up procedures related to post-exposure evaluations
• – Your copy of the health care professional's written opinion
• – A copy of the information provided to the health care professional as required.
• Make sure that employee medical records are:
• – Kept confidential
• – Not disclosed or reported to any person, without the employee's written consent, except as required by this section or as may be required by law.

Note: In some industries, a medical record is also known as the employee health file. You may contract with the medical professional responsible for hepatitis B vaccination and post-exposure evaluation to maintain employee records.

Reference: You need to follow additional requirements for medical records found in 296-802, Employee Medical and Exposure Records.

WAC 296-823-17010

Maintain a sharps injury log

Exemption: You are exempt from the requirements to record contaminated sharps injuries if you have 10 or less employees.

You must

• Record contaminated sharps injuries on your OSHA 300 or equivalent log.

Reference: Requirements for the OSHA 300 log are found in chapter 296-27 WAC, Recordkeeping and Reporting at http://www.lni.wa.gov/WISHA/Rules/Recordkeeping/default.htm.

Helpful Tool: Sharps Injury Log You can find a sample form for recording sharps injuries in the Resources section of this chapter.

You must

• Record and maintain contaminated sharps injury information in a way that protects the confidentiality of the injured employee
• Also record the following additional information for contaminated sharps injuries:
• – The type and brand of device involved in the incident
• – The department or work area where the exposure incident occurred
• – An explanation of how the incident occurred.

• Maintain your contaminated sharps injury records for 5 years.

Note: You may record the additional information in any format you choose, such as on the OSHA 300 and 301 forms. It must be retrievable and identifiable to each specific injury.