Housekeeping & Vaccination

Protecting artists from exposure to hepatitis B is an important component of any exposure control plan for bloodborne pathogens.

Housekeeping and Hepatitis B

In an exposure control plan, housekeeping requirements include the following:

• An appropriate written schedule for cleaning and decontamination of the worksite
• Cleaning and decontamination of equipment, environmental, and working surfaces after contact with blood or OPIM
• Prompt removal of protective coverings on a regular schedule or if they become contaminated
• Inspection and decontamination of bins, pails, cans, and similar waste receptacles.
• Removal of broken glassware with mechanical means
• Storage of reusable sharps in such a fashion that employees do not have to reach into a container with their hands

An exposure control plan also requires employers to make the hepatitis B vaccine available to all employees who have occupational exposures, at no cost to the employees.

If an employee initially declines vaccination but decides later to get vaccinated, the employer must make the vaccine available at no cost.

If an employee declines to receive the vaccination, he or she must sign a waiver as described in the standard.

If at some point the CDC and the U.S. Public Health Service recommends that people who have had the vaccination series should receive routine booster doses, the doses must be made available to all employees at no cost.

To learn more about Body Art Bloodborne Pathogens visit our Bloodborne Pathogens Tattoo Artist & Body Piercers Online Training web page.