Bloodborne Pathogens and the Casino

Casinos and other gaming establishments are required to protect their employees and patrons from exposure to bloodborne pathogens by providing training and personal protective equipment designed to limit, and protect against, the risk of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials.

OHSA and Bloodborne Pathogens

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect the health of American workers through setting standards designed to protect those workers. One of those standards is the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.

Bloodborne pathogens are defined by OSHA as pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood that can cause diseases such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Personal Protective Equipment

It is extremely important to use personal protective equipment (PPE) and work practice controls to protect yourself from bloodborne pathogens.

For maximum protection it is essential to have a barrier between the individual and the potentially infectious material. Some important rules to follow include:

• always wear PPE equipment in exposure situations

• remove PPE that is torn or punctured or has lost its ability to function as a barrier to bloodborne pathogens

• replace PPE that is torn or punctured

• remove PPE before leaving the work area

For those who work in an area with routine exposure to blood or potentially infectious fluids or materials, OSHA requires that the necessary PPE must be readily accessible.

Additionally, OSHA requires that any contaminated gloves, clothing, PPE, or other materials be placed in appropriately labeled bags or containers until disposed of, decontaminated, or laundered.

Training on Bloodborne Pathogens

OSHA requires training for all employees subject to occupational exposure. The training must be created by the employer and provided at no cost to the employee on an annual basis.

The minimum requirements for a bloodborne pathogens training program include, but are not limited to:  

• access to the OSHA regulations and standards, with an explanation of the contents

• an overview of the epidemiology and symptoms of bloodborne diseases

• an explanation of how bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted

• an explanation of the ECP and how a copy of the written plan can be obtained

• how to recognize activities that could involve exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials

• an explanation of various methods that may prevent or reduce exposure, such as appropriate work practices and use of PPE

• an explanation of the hepatitis B vaccine, including efficacy, safety, method of administration, the benefits of being vaccinated, and the fact that the vaccination is offered free of charge to employees

• the appropriate actions to take in an emergency involving blood or other potentially infectious materials and who to contact in the event of exposure

• incident reporting

• an explanation of post-exposure evaluation and follow-up

• identification of signs and labels and/or color coding required by the Standard

Bloodborne Pathogen Training for Casino Employees

Casinos and casino hotels operate gambling facilities that, in addition to table-wagering and gambling, often provide hotel accommodations, food and beverage services, and other recreational activities. Each of these provided services opens the door to exposure to bloodborne pathogens for the casino employee.

It is important for casino employees who could be exposed to bloodborne pathogens to be properly trained. Training can be provided in person or online. WebCE offers a variety of online training courses for casino employees to get up-to-date information they can apply to their daily job functions.

Our course, Understanding Bloodborne Pathogens for the Casino Employee, will provide casino employees with an overview of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard and give them helpful tips on how to properly clean and react to a bloodborne pathogen incident if it occurs.

Visit our casino compliance training page for more information on how WebCE can help you implement the right training and education programs for your casino.