29 Cfr 1904.8

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ELECTRONIC CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS
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Title 29 → Subtitle B → Chapter XVII → Part 1904 → Subpart C → §1904.8
Title 29: Labor
PART 1904—RECORDING AND REPORTING OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES
Subpart C—Recordkeeping Forms and Recording Criteria
§1904.8 Recording criteria for needlestick and sharps injuries.
(a) Basic requirement. You must record all work-related needlestick injuries and cuts
from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person's blood or other potentially
infectious material (as defined by 29 CFR 1910.1030). You must enter the case on the OSHA
300 Log as an injury. To protect the employee's privacy, you may not enter the employee's
name on the OSHA 300 Log (see the requirements for privacy cases in paragraphs
1904.29(b)(6) through 1904.29(b)(9)).
(b) Implementation—(1) What does “other potentially infectious material” mean? The
term “other potentially infectious materials” is defined in the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
standard at §1910.1030(b). These materials include:
(i) Human bodily fluids, tissues and organs, and
(ii) Other materials infected with the HIV or hepatitis B (HBV) virus such as laboratory
cultures or tissues from experimental animals.
(2) Does this mean that I must record all cuts, lacerations, punctures, and scratches?
No, you need to record cuts, lacerations, punctures, and scratches only if they are workrelated and involve contamination with another person's blood or other potentially infectious
material. If the cut, laceration, or scratch involves a clean object, or a contaminant other than
blood or other potentially infectious material, you need to record the case only if it meets one
or more of the recording criteria in §1904.7.
(3) If I record an injury and the employee is later diagnosed with an infectious
bloodborne disease, do I need to update the OSHA 300 Log? Yes, you must update the
classification of the case on the OSHA 300 Log if the case results in death, days away from
work, restricted work, or job transfer. You must also update the description to identify the
infectious disease and change the classification of the case from an injury to an illness.
(4) What if one of my employees is splashed or exposed to blood or other potentially
infectious material without being cut or scratched? Do I need to record this incident? You
need to record such an incident on the OSHA 300 Log as an illness if:

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need to record such an incident on the OSHA 300 Log as an illness if:
(i) It results in the diagnosis of a bloodborne illness, such as HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis
C; or
(ii) It meets one or more of the recording criteria in §1904.7.
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