Download the OSHA manual - Wisconsin Dental Association

APPENDIXREMINDER ON COMPLIANCE WITHOSHA NEEDLE SAFETY AMENDMENTSIn the fall of 2000, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Needlestick Safety Act, P.L. 106-430. The Actamends the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) bloodborne pathogens standard to:1.) Document annually in the employer’s Exposure Control Plan, consideration and implementationof appropriate commercially available and effective engineering controls (including devices withengineered sharps injury protection or needleless systems) to eliminate or minimize exposure.2.) Solicit (from non-managerial employees who are potentially exposed to sharps injuries) input inthe identification, evaluation and selection of effective engineering controls, and document thesolicitation in the employer’s Exposure Control Plans.3.) Maintain the OSHA Form 200 log (only applies to employers with 10 or more employees) to keep arecord of percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps.4.) Staff meetings/discussions are required to provide the opportunity for non-managerial staffto evaluate current in-office needle-safe devices, as well as recommend other needle-safe deviceoptions to the employer.This amendment to OSHA simply requires dental offices to review the availability of engineeringcontrols and consider their purchase and use in the dental office. It does NOT require dentists to usethe new safety needles and needleless devices if they are not considered safe for dental purposes.Regardless of the final decision on use, dental offices should regularly document their efforts to identify,evaluate and select engineering controls (safer needles) in their Exposure Control Plans. The updated rulesbecame effective on April 18, 2001.The following information is current as of July 2008 and is available at www.osha.gov:OSHA EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN…a member benefit from the WDAa8