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 Pathogen Program. 

The purpose of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Bloodborne Pathogen 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 U of I who work with human blood or other potentially infectious human materials and is outlined in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan (U of I 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 employee’s unit head (a supervisor with the greatest authority within the campus unit who also has the greatest direct knowledge and control of the employees' day-to-day activities, e.g., foreman, principal investigator) is ultimately responsible for compliance with the UIUC Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Pan. As outlined in the U of I ECP, the unit head'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 a number of 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 UIUC 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 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 (refresher 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 (refresher 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 unit head or 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. 

  1. Fill out a Hepatitis B Vaccination Declination or Request form and give it to your unit head. 
  2. Before vaccinations are started, gather the following information: 
    a. Campus unit name, address, telephone number; the name of contact person in unit business office; 
    b. FOAPAL information; 
    c. Type of service (i.e., Hepatitis B vaccination series and a post-vaccination antibody blood test); 
    d. Name of employee to be immunized; 
    e. Employee's university i-Card Number (UIN).

Once given all of the above information, the campus unit's business office may contact the McKinley Health Center, Business Office at 217-333-2719 with the above information to initiate the immunization series.

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

U of I ECP

Last Updated: 6/30/2021