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Vernon County board reviews major rewrite of bloodborne-pathogen policy, moves draft to county HR
Summary
The Vernon County Board of Health reviewed a 19-page overhaul of its bloodborne-pathogen policy intended to align local practice with OSHA requirements and shift primary responsibility for exposures and long-term recordkeeping to county Human Resources; members voted to forward the draft to county HR for review.
The Vernon County Board of Health discussed a comprehensive revision to its bloodborne-pathogen policy during its meeting, with staff saying the update was necessary to align county practice with federal standards. "The blood borne pathogen policy comes from OSHA, regulations that require that all employers, protect employees against blood borne pathogens," the presenter said while explaining changes to personal protective equipment, hepatitis B vaccination access, and spill-response procedures.
Board members and staff emphasized changes to who maintains exposure records and follow-up protocols. Staff noted that exposure records must be retained for 30 years and that Human Resources should assume ownership of those records and the related follow-up steps. After discussion, a member moved and another seconded to forward the draft policy to county HR (Jen Gove) for county-level review and possible adoption; the meeting record shows consensus to proceed without a formal roll-call tally. The presenters indicated departments will continue stakeholder review with department heads before HR finalizes countywide language.
