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Short answer
PPE for bloodborne pathogens is the gloves, masks with eye protection, gowns and other barriers that OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, requires employers to provide, at no cost, wherever employees have occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Which items apply depends on what contact is reasonably anticipated: hand contact, splashes to the face, or gross contamination.
Definition and scope
The standard defines personal protective equipment as “specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard.” It sits inside a wider approach: paragraph (d)(1) says universal precautions “shall be observed to prevent contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials,” and paragraph (d)(2)(i) says engineering and work practice controls “shall be used to eliminate or minimize employee exposure.” PPE is the barrier that remains between the worker and the material after those controls are applied. It does not replace them, and it does not replace the written exposure control plan.
The standard covers employees with occupational exposure, which includes clinical settings and, under paragraph (e), research laboratories and production facilities engaged in work with HIV and HBV; see the research laboratory requirements for that paragraph. CDC’s Standard Precautions page makes the parallel point for patient care: use PPE “whenever there is an expectation of possible exposure to an infectious material,” and base the choice on a risk assessment.
How PPE duties work in practice: clause by clause
Paragraph (d)(3) of the standard runs from (i) to (xii). Reading it clause by clause shows that most of the duties fall on the employer, not on the worker, and that several concern the stock of PPE itself.
| Clause | What it requires |
|---|---|
| (d)(3)(i) Provision | Where there is occupational exposure, the employer provides appropriate PPE at no cost to the employee. PPE counts as appropriate only if blood or other potentially infectious materials do not pass through to the employee’s clothes, skin, eyes, mouth or other mucous membranes under normal conditions of use and for the time the equipment is worn. |
| (d)(3)(ii) Use | The employer ensures employees use the PPE. A narrow exception exists for rare circumstances of professional judgment, which must be investigated and documented. |
| (d)(3)(iii) Accessibility | PPE in the appropriate sizes is readily accessible. Alternatives such as hypoallergenic or powderless gloves are to be readily accessible for employees who need them. |
| (d)(3)(iv) and (v) Care and replacement | The employer cleans, launders and disposes of required PPE, and repairs or replaces it “as needed to maintain its effectiveness,” at no cost to the employee. |
| (d)(3)(vi) to (viii) Removal and storage | A garment penetrated by blood or other potentially infectious materials is removed. All PPE is removed before leaving the work area, and removed PPE goes into an appropriately designated area or container for storage, washing, decontamination or disposal. |
| (d)(3)(ix) to (xii) Item-specific triggers | Gloves, masks with eye protection, protective clothing, and caps, hoods or shoe covers, each tied to a different anticipated exposure (next section). |
The order in which PPE is put on and taken off is a separate topic; see the donning and doffing sequence guide.
Types of PPE by exposure trigger
Paragraphs (d)(3)(ix) to (xii) tie each type of PPE to a trigger. In every row the trigger is what can “reasonably be anticipated,” so the decision starts with the task, not with the product.
| Item | Trigger in the standard | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Gloves | Worn when it can be reasonably anticipated that the employee may have hand contact with blood, other potentially infectious materials, mucous membranes or non-intact skin, and when handling or touching contaminated items or surfaces. Disposable gloves are replaced rather than washed for reuse; utility gloves may be reused if their integrity is not compromised. | (d)(3)(ix) |
| Masks with eye protection | Masks “in combination with eye protection devices,” such as goggles or glasses with solid side shields, or a chin-length face shield, when splashes, spray, spatter or droplets could contaminate the eyes, nose or mouth. | (d)(3)(x) |
| Gowns, aprons, lab coats, clinic jackets | Appropriate protective clothing, with the type and characteristics depending on the task and the degree of exposure anticipated. | (d)(3)(xi) |
| Surgical caps or hoods, shoe covers or boots | Worn where gross contamination can reasonably be anticipated, with autopsies and orthopaedic surgery given as examples. | (d)(3)(xii) |
Related guides for each item
For glove materials used in laboratories, see the nitrile gloves guide. For the face and eye row, the face shield and goggle selection guide compares the two. For the gown row, the AAMI PB70 gown levels guide covers gown classification levels.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
Because the duties above attach to the employer, they translate into a short list of questions about the PPE inventory itself. Each comes straight from a clause:
- Are the sizes people actually wear on hand? (d)(3)(iii) requires appropriate sizes to be readily accessible.
- Is there an alternative for staff who cannot use the standard glove? (d)(3)(iii) names hypoallergenic and powderless gloves.
- Does the item fit the task? (d)(3)(xi) makes gown type depend on the task and the degree of exposure, and (d)(3)(i) judges appropriateness by whether fluids pass through under normal use.
- Is there a place to put used PPE before leaving the work area? (d)(3)(vii) and (viii) require removal before leaving and a designated container or area.
- Is worn or damaged equipment replaced? (d)(3)(v) requires repair or replacement as needed to maintain effectiveness.
The standard does not rank products or set a stock level; those decisions follow the employer’s own exposure determination and exposure control plan. Related procedural supplies, such as umbilical cord clamps, sit in their own product category apart from PPE. Training is covered in the training guide for research personnel.
Common misunderstandings
PPE is the first line of defence
The standard places engineering and work practice controls first in paragraph (d)(2)(i). PPE is the barrier used alongside them.
Employees buy their own PPE
Clauses (i), (iv) and (v) each state that provision, care and replacement are at no cost to the employee.
Gloves are always sufficient
Gloves answer hand contact only. Splash, spray and spatter exposure to the face is a separate trigger under (d)(3)(x), and gross contamination is a third under (d)(3)(xii).
Disposable gloves can be washed and reused
Under (d)(3)(ix), disposable gloves are replaced, not washed or decontaminated for reuse. Only utility gloves may be reused, and only if their integrity is intact.
PPE can be worn out of the work area
Clause (d)(3)(vii) says all PPE is removed before leaving the work area.
FAQ
What PPE is required for bloodborne pathogens?
The standard does not give one fixed kit. It requires appropriate PPE, which it illustrates with gloves, masks with eye protection or face shields, protective clothing, and caps, hoods or shoe covers, each chosen by the exposure that can reasonably be anticipated.
Who pays for PPE for bloodborne pathogens?
The employer. Paragraph (d)(3)(i) requires appropriate PPE to be provided at no cost to the employee.
What does PPE protect against?
Contact of blood and other potentially infectious materials with skin, eyes, mouth, other mucous membranes and clothing. PPE is appropriate only if those materials do not pass through to the employee under normal conditions of use.
Does the PPE rule apply to research laboratories?
Paragraph (e) of the standard extends requirements to research laboratories and production facilities that engage in the culture, production, concentration, experimentation and manipulation of HIV and HBV. See the research laboratory guide.
Sources
- U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens; full text on the eCFR. Checked 2026-10-29.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Standard Precautions; page dated April 3, 2024. Checked 2026-10-29.
