Free introductory lesson: Bloodborne Pathogens — Occupational Exposure Knowledge Core

Federal general-industry, non-laboratory knowledge core for employees whose assigned duties involve occupational exposure. Employer exposure determination, the actual exposure control plan, task instruction, interactive trainer questions and workplace understanding remain separate. This is not first-aid certification, clinical training or authorization for cleanup or medical tasks.

Who needs training and what it establishes

Learning objective: Recognize occupational exposure, training timing and the limits of this online result.

This course is for employees with occupational exposure: reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous-membrane or piercing contact with human blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) arising from assigned duties. The employer determines exposure without considering the protection provided by PPE. Having gloves does not remove a job from the exposure determination.

Assigned first aid, blood cleanup, contaminated laundry/waste handling and some equipment-service tasks can involve exposure. Actual duties matter more than job title. The employer lists classifications where all employees are exposed, classifications where some are exposed, and the relevant tasks/procedures for that second group. Unanticipated voluntary aid is not automatically an assigned occupational duty; report and obtain help for any suspected exposure.

Training is provided at initial assignment to tasks where exposure may occur.
Annual training is provided within one year of the previous training.
Additional training is provided when task/procedure changes affect exposure; it may address only the new exposures.
Required training is at no employee cost, during working hours, and understandable in content, vocabulary and language.

The online result records this knowledge core only. The actual plan, controls, contacts and role-specific instruction must be supplied, questions answered by the knowledgeable trainer, and task understanding established. Do not accept an unfamiliar cleanup or response assignment because you passed a quiz.

This non-laboratory core does not authorize clinical procedures, specimen work or HIV/HBV research/production work. Those settings need their own provisions and training. Construction, maintenance, clinics and State Plan coverage require a task-specific applicability decision before using this federal base.

Source context: 29 CFR 1910.1030(a), (b), (c)(2), (g)(2)(i)–(vi)

Actual exposure control plan, task instruction, required interactive access to a knowledgeable trainer, and employer health-protection arrangements.

This introductory preview does not record course completion or award a certificate.