• For the latest and greatest information on infection control in dentistry, check out www.osap.org (Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures). They are a great organization to join for the latest updates in infection control.

• Check this out!  Here’s an easy to use checklist for OSHA and infection control

• From OSAP, the dental infection control gurus of the universe, here’s some fantastic guidance on becoming your office’s OSHA compliance queen (or king, as the case may be!)

• For a quick overview of what OSHA requires for dental offices and some recommended links, click here! 

• For a checklist to help you get your Hazard Communication Plan in order, click here.

• Click here for a Hazard Communication Training Program for your office.

• Here’s a great article on what to expect in the event of an OSHA inspection.

• Here are enforcement procedures from  OSHA about the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard.  There are discussions about what inspectors actually look for when inspecting an office.

• Here are answers from OSHA about questions specific to dentistry.  

• Employee medical records should be kept separate from the OSHA materials (in order to protect employees’ privacy). Medical records must be kept on every employee who has potential occupational exposure. These medical records can either be maintained on-site by the employer, or off-site at the physician’s office who provides care to that employee. Click here for a sample employee medical record.

• If you have an employee who refuses to take a hepatitis B vaccine, have them sign the Hepatitis B declination form and file it in their employee medical record.

• If an employee refuses to be tested after a stick injury, this Informed Refusal form is additional documentation that you offered to evaluate the employee after an exposure incident and the employee refused.  This form is not required by law, but does offer evidence that the staff member refused followup after a stick injury in the event a problem arises.

• Here’s an exposure report you can take to the doctor after a stick injury that explains how the injury occured and specifics about the level of exposure.

• Here’s a great chart to see what Hepatitis B followup needs to be done in the event of an exposure incident to a staff member who is not vaccinated or her vaccination status is unknown.

• In the event of a stick, here is some information from OSHA.  Here are the steps to follow after a stick (put it on your office fridge so it’s always handy)

• According to OSHA’s Needlestick Prevention Act, we are supposed to evaluate any new technology (annually) that could possibly make us safer while performing our duties (ex: safety syringes, disposable scalpels, blunt suture needles, etc.) Everyone with potential exposure should participate in the evaluations; after going over the information, if you don’t feel that it makes you safer, you don’t have to use it.  However, you do need to document your decision, and the reasons for your decision, and place it in your OSHA notebook.
  • Click here for a sample of a completed safety evaluation form for a safety syringe, and here for a blank sharps evaluation form.
  • Here are a couple of studies that deal with safety syringes and show that they are often not useful for dentists. Click here for the first study, and here for the second.

• Here’s information about what to do in the event of exposure to an HIV+ and/or a Hep B+ patient.  Click here for the HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Recommendations and click here for Hepatitis B Post-Exposure Prophylaxis info.

State requirements for infection control:

• Here are Alabama infection control requirements.
• Click here for Tennessee infection control information.  And click here for information on Tennessee hazardous waste information.
• Here’s a NC autoclave log