Personal Safety
Course Objectives
- Identify occupational hazards encountered during phlebotomy and evaluate factors that increase the risk of injury or exposure.
- Apply appropriate prevention and response strategies for environmental, biological, and infectious hazards in the workplace.
- Differentiate appropriate actions for occupational exposures, safety incidents, and medical emergencies encountered during blood collection.
Course Content
Course Creator: Nichelle Volker RMA
Total CE Hours: 1 Credit Hour
Pace Course #: 586-2710-26 until 9/30/2028
Key Terms:
- Engineering Control
- Work Practice Control
- Occupational Exposure
- Exposure Incident
- Standard Precautions
- Decontamination
Outline:
I. Introduction to Personal Safety
- Course objectives and key terms
- Safety risks in phlebotomy
- Why safety practices fail
- Controlling workplace hazards
II. Sharps Safety and Compliance
- Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
- Phlebotomists’ role in selecting safer devices
- Sharps injury prevention
- Sharps injury documentation
III. Environmental and Biological Hazards
- Sharps hazards
- Physical hazards
- Allergens
- Chemical hazards
- Electrical hazards
- Fire and explosive hazards
- Biological hazards
IV. Hazard Prevention and Response
- Prevention strategies for each hazard category
- Immediate actions following injuries or exposures
- Reporting, documentation, and medical evaluation
- Chemical Safety Data Sheets and hazard communication
- Fire classifications, extinguisher safety, and RACE
- NFPA hazard identification
- Scenario: Multiple workplace hazards and resolution
V. Infection Control
- Infection Control Plan
- Chain of infection
- Universal Precautions
- Standard Precautions
- Occupational health measures
- Exposure Control Plan
VI. Personal Protective Equipment
- Selecting PPE based on anticipated exposure
- Putting on PPE
- Removing PPE safely
- Hand hygiene
VII. Decontamination and Waste Disposal
- Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and equipment
- Blood spill decontamination
- Biohazard waste disposal
- Regulated biohazardous waste
VIII. Transmission-Based Precautions
- Contact Precautions
- Droplet Precautions
- Airborne Precautions
- Scenario: Infection control during collection and resolution
IX. CPR and First Aid
- First aid during phlebotomy
- Responding to a medical emergency
- Scene safety
- Recognizing cardiac arrest
- CPR
- Debriefing and team support
X. Conclusion
References:
1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Bloodborne pathogens and needlestick prevention: Quick reference guide to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Quick Reference Guide
2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Hospitals eTool. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Hospitals eTool
3. Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-430, 114 Stat. 1901 (2000). Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Bloodborne pathogens: Standards. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standards
5. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Hospital-wide hazards: Slips, trips, and falls. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Slips, Trips, and Falls
6. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Healthcare: Safe patient handling. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Safe Patient Handling
7. Hewett Brumberg, E. K., Douma, M. J., Alibertis, K., Charlton, N. P., Goldman, M. P., Harper-Kirksey, K., Hawkins, S. C., Hoover, A., Leichtle, S., Kule, A., McClure, S. F., Wang, G. S., Whelchel, M., White, L., & Lavonas, E. J. (2024). 2024 American Heart Association and American Red Cross guidelines for first aid. Circulation, 150. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.000000000000120
8. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Hazard communication. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Hazard Communication
9. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2024). Hazard Communication Safety Data Sheets (OSHA 3493-08R). U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA Safety Data Sheets QuickCard
10. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Hospital-wide hazards: Electrical safety. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Electrical Safety
11. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Emergency action plans, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.38. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Emergency Action Plans
12. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Portable fire extinguishers: Extinguisher basics. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Fire Extinguisher Basics
13. National Fire Protection Association. (2025). NFPA 704: Standard system for the identification of the hazards of materials for emergency response. NFPA 704 supporting document
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). CDC's core infection prevention and control practices for safe healthcare delivery in all settings. CDC Core Infection Prevention Practices
15. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Bloodborne pathogens: General guidance. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens General Guidance
16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2022). Chain of infection components. CDC/NIOSH Chain of Infection Components
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Appendix A: Table 1. History of guidelines for isolation precautions in hospitals. CDC History of Isolation Precautions
18. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Standard precautions for all patient care. CDC Standard Precautions
19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Infection control in healthcare personnel: Summary of recommendations. CDC Occupational Infection Control Recommendations
20. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Appendix A: Example of safe donning and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE). CDC Safe Donning and Removal of PPE
21. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Environmental cleaning procedures. CDC Environmental Cleaning Procedures
22. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Transmission-Based Precautions. CDC Transmission-Based Precautions
23. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Appendix A: Type and duration of precautions recommended for selected infections and conditions. CDC Isolation Precautions Appendix A
24. Kleinman, M. E., Buick, J. E., Huber, N., Idris, A. H., Levy, M., Morgan, S. G., Nassal, M. M. J., Neth, M. R., Norii, T., Nunnally, M. E., Rodriguez, A. R., Walsh, B. K., & Drennan, I. R. (2025). Part 7: Adult basic life support: 2025 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation, 152(Suppl. 2), S448–S478. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001369
