Needle Sharps Program. Completed entirely online.

Course Overview

Who Should take this course?

The target audience is for individuals that:

  • Conduct job tasks in laboratory areas;
  • Range in scientific ability from novice to expert; or
  • Conduct job tasks with small quantities (<100L) of hazardous materials.

The course contains information pertaining to the following legislation:

  • 29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne pathogens;
  • 29 CFR 1904.8 - Recording criteria for needlestick and sharps injuries;
  • 29 CFR 1904.9 - Recording criteria for cases involving medical removal under OSHA standards; and
  • 29 CFR 1910.1027 App F - Non-mandatory Protocol for Biological Monitoring.

Continuing Education

This course is worth 3 hours (0.3 CEUs) of EMS Continuing Education (CE) credits.

Objectives

 

The objectives of this course are to assist employers with compliance of US legislation by instructing laboratory employees that could become exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials on the disease-causing effects of pathogenic organisms.

The training outlines methods by which a laboratory worker can determine their risk of exposure, the precautions that should be taken to prevent personal and third party contamination--including the concept of universal precautions--and the procedures to follow should an exposure occur. Furthermore, it covers the components required to achieve a successful needle sharps program, and the protocols for the treatment of contaminated surfaces and wastes.

This course also seeks to provide an online training course that covers common aspects of laboratory safety that employers provide to impacted US employees. This training communicates legally required information, and is usually administered prior to starting a task, if the task changes, or as a refresher course.

Finally, this training recommends the best practice procedures that impacted employees can practically utilize to ensure their own personal safety as well as the safety of their coworkers.

Topics

This course is divided into six sections. The approximate time to complete each section is shown below.

Module # Section # Title
Module 1 1 Introduction and Course Overview
2 Overview and Legal Aspects
3 Bloodborne Pathogens Diseases
4 Modes of Transmission & Exposure Determination
5 Control Measures
6 Emergency Procedures & Exposure Control Plan
Course Exam

Exams

This course has one 25 question final exam. A 70% score or better is required to pass the final exam.

If a student does not pass the exam the first time, they may retake the exam as many times as necessary in order to pass.

Additional Training

 

Workers must receive additional training, when required by OSHA standards, on the specific hazards of their job.

Training Providers should be used to ensure credibility and augment a company's training program. Therefore, in addition to the training provided by an outside party, a student should receive site-specific training that is supplied by their own company. This training should target the company's unique approach to hazard prevention, including the use of site-specific equipment, health and safety policies, and emergency procedures. As a rule, this company specific training should be well documented.

The bottom line in ALL SITUATIONS is that employers are required to ensure that their employees are adequately trained to do their job.

Mobile Version

 

We're excited to announce that this course is now available in HTML 5, making it more compatible with the browser on your mobile device (e.g., smartphone or tablet). This course requires only the most recent version of your mobile device's web browser.

Tablet Pros and Cons

Mobile versions of this sort of training are new, but below are some Pros and Cons that we have noticed during our extensive testing.

Pros

  • No computer needed
  • Tablet mobility
  • Tablet screen graphics

Cons

  • Smartphone screens can be too small to see
  • Mobile browsers react differently than computer browsers
  • Phone calls can interrupt training

During our testing we really noticed that tablets work much better than smartphones, simply due to their screen size.

Growing Pains

Because this is a Beta Version of our course, you may encounter some issues as we work out the kinks.

Your Mobile Browser

While HTML5 makes taking this course on mobile devices possible, not all mobile browsers are optimized for HTML5, meaning you may not have complete functionality. If you have difficulty taking this course using the browser on your mobile device, you may need to use a different browser.

Test the functionality of your browser using HTML5 and compare it to the performance of other browsers. If you find other browsers are more compatible than your own, you may want to make the switch.

FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions specific to this course.

Q - How long will this course take to complete?

Our courses are set up to take a specific amount of time. Some students may get through the training more quickly, while others may actually take longer to complete their training. Remember, this training should be used as an intricate tool in the context of an overall training program; it can be combined with other training throughout the year in order to meet any hour requirements needed.


Q - How long do I have to start a course once enrolled?

Students have 12 months to start their training from the time they enroll in an online course.


Q - How long do I have to complete a course once started?

Take up to 12 months to complete your online training, at your own pace and schedule.


Q - Do I have to finish the course in one sitting?

No, our courses are designed so you can start and stop as needed, allowing you to break the training up over a longer period of time. Our system will keep track of your progress, enabling you to resume where you left off upon your next login. It is important that once you start a section, you complete that section or you will need to start that section over from the beginning upon your return.


Q - Can I take the course from more than one computer?

Yes, you can take the online portion by signing in with your username and password from any location and computer with high-speed internet access. However, each computer does need to meet our basic system requirements for viewing our online courses.


Q - Will I receive a certificate for this course?

Yes, once you have completed a course, you are able to download, save or print a certificate of completion from your student account. Certificates are created in a pdf format. Users must have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader before attempting to download the completion certificate.