Key Terms

Bloodborne Pathogens: Means pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Contaminated: Means the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.

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.

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 it is no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use, or disposal.

Engineering Controls: Means controls such as sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, and safer medical devices that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogens hazard from the workplace.

Exposure Incident: Means a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, or non-intact skin contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee's duties.

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): Human body fluids, semen, vaginal secretions, spinal fluid, saliva, amniotic fluid, or any other body fluid that has blood in it or cannot be identified. It also refers to tissues and cultures.

Parenteral: Refers to piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needlesticks, human bites, cuts, and abrasions.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): A term used to describe specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard.

Regulated Waste: Refers to 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 that can release these materials during handling; contaminated sharps; and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Universal Precautions: Refers to 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.

Work Practice Controls: Refers to controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the way a task is performed.

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