Overview of Program

Workers in many different occupations are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. At this university, personnel with job duties that include research with or spill clean-up of potentially infectious human material, or include the responsibility of providing first aid should participate in the Bloodborne Pathogens Program. 

The purpose of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Bloodborne Pathogens Program is to minimize, if not eliminate, occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens to university employees by complying with OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030. This program applies to all faculty, staff, and students employed at the university who work with human blood or other potentially infectious human materials and is outlined in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan (ECP). 

Bloodborne Pathogen Standard compliance responsibilities are divided up across campus. Although the Division of Research Safety (DRS) is available to assist units in providing general training and guidance, the unit's responsible person (a supervisor with the greatest authority within the campus unit who also has the greatest direct knowledge and control of the employee's day-to-day activities, e.g., foreman, principal investigator) is ultimately responsible for compliance with the ECP. As outlined in the ECP, the responsible person's responsibilities are to ensure 1) upkeep of annual task-specific training, 2) that task-appropriate personal protective equipment is in place and used, and 3) maintenance of program-related records. The DRS offers several services to help campus units remain in compliance:

1. The DRS develops and hosts general online training and live lectures designed to be taken in conjunction with task-specific training carried out by units;
2. The DRS maintains electronic training records from the training mentioned above, which can be accessed by participants by secure login;
3. The DRS audits campus units, making recommendations to improve compliance;
4. The DRS maintains the campuswide ECP, a central source of information regarding:
   a. Hazard assessment and clean-up;
   b. Methods to prevent and, if need be, react to exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material.
   

The DRS is available to make recommendations to campus units. 

For information regarding the Bloodborne Pathogen Program, contact the Division of Research Safety via e-mail or call 217-333-2755.

Available Training from DRS

DRS offers two trainings:

1. Safe Handling of Human Cell Lines/Materials in a Research Laboratory- Register for Training
2. Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens (training for non-laboratory personnel only)
   

Researchers who work with human materials in a laboratory on campus you should take, annually, the course entitled “Safe handling of human cell lines and materials in a research laboratory.” If you have never taken the course before you should sign-up for the live training, now presented remotely as a Zoom webinar. If you have previously attended a live session of this training then you may annually renew your training with the online version. 

The second training listed, “Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens (training for non-laboratory personnel only),” is a supplemental course for non-research campus units to accompany their job specific training.  

No matter your campus unit, please see your supervisor about required annual training.

Receiving the HBV Immunization

Occupationally exposed employees can go to McKinley Health Center to receive the immunization series. A schedule for follow-up inoculations and the post-immunization blood test will be made at the initial visit. Below are the instructions to follow in order to set up your first visit. 
Fill out a Hepatitis B Vaccination Declination or Request form and give it to your unit head. 

To arrange vaccinations for their employees, campus units/departments should do the following:

1. The Department/campus unit's business office should fill out the University Department Paid Services form at the bottom of McKinley's health service fee webpage. You will need to provide the following information:

1. Department name,
2. Campus mail code,
3. Name of authorized department contact,
4. Phone number,
5. Email,
6. Employee/student UIN needing vaccines/titers,
7. What services the department is paying for
8. CFOP to charge (account code required)

2. Allow 1 to 2 business days for request processing.
3. Campus Units/departments are responsible for telling employees to schedule an appointment online at  MyMcKinley Portal or call 217-33-2700.  Clinic hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. summer and winter break). A schedule for the remaining inoculations and the post-vaccination blood test will be made during the initial visit.

Emergency Procedure

For life-threatening injury or exposure call 911 for immediate response.

For non-life threatening injury or exposure see our Non-Life Threatening Injury or Exposure webpage.

For reporting requirements see Injury Reporting. 

Spill Clean-Up

For further instructions please see our Biological Material Spill clean-up page

Exposure Control Plan

Illinois Exposure Control Plan