Are there any OSHA standards which address safety considerations for washing medical instruments by hand?
OSHA does not specifically prohibit the handwashing of instruments that, according to these guidelines, should be pre-cleaned before being disinfected or sterilized. Furthermore, OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard (BBP), 29 CFR 1910.1030, which provides protection for employees from exposure to blood or other infectious materials (OPIM), in general, requires employers to establish appropriate cleaning and decontaminating procedures for all contaminated equipment. The standard, at paragraph (d)(4)(ii), requires that “All equipment and environmental and working surfaces shall be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.” However, according to paragraph (d)(2)(i) of OSHA’s BBP standard, where engineering and work practice controls will reduce employee exposure either by removing, eliminating, or isolating the hazard, they must be used. This would include the use of existing, feasible, commercially available engineering controls, such
