NEEDLESTICK SAFETY AND PREVENTION ACT PASSES HOUSE...

October 3, 2000: H.R.5178, Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, revises the bloodborne pathogens standard, in effect under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to include safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems, as examples of engineering controls designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through needlestick and other percutaneous injuries. The bill requires certain employers to: (1) review and update exposure control plans to reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce such exposure, and document their consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices for such purpose; (2) maintain a sharps injury log, noting the type and brand of device used, where the injury occurred, and an explanation of the incident (exempting employers who are not required to maintain specified OSHA logs); and (3) seek input on such engineering and work practice controls from the affected health care workers (exempting employers who are not required to establish exposure control plans).

H.R.5178 also requires such modifications of the standard to: (1) be in force until superseded by regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor under OSHA; and (2) take effect without regard to specified procedural requirements.

The bill passed the House on October 3, 2000 and was received in the Senate on October 4, 2000.