As a tattoo artist, you take pride in your craft and ensure that you give your clients only the very best. Part of creating the best tattoo experience is ensuring that risks are minimized as much as possible. One of those risks we should try to avoid is exposure to blood and potentially dangerous bloodborne pathogens in your line of work. One of those risks we should try to avoid as much as possible is exposure to blood and potentially dangerous bloodborne pathogens in your line of work. Without proper knowledge of how to handle blood, deal with bloodborne pathogens, and limit exposure to them, you may be putting yourself, your family, friends, and clients at risk. From a legal and business standpoint, you may also be opening yourself up to potential litigation, heavy fines, and loss of clientele.
Why take the risk? Protect yourself, your business, and those around you by taking the Bloodborne Pathogens Certification for tattoo artists. In this article, we’re sharing everything you need to know about getting your tattoo artist training for bloodborne pathogens.
What are Bloodborne Pathogens?
Sometimes abbreviated to BBP, bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms found in human blood that can cause disease in humans. The three most commonly encountered bloodborne pathogens are the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), although other pathogens also exist and may cause serious disease in people.
These pathogens can be transmitted from one person to another when the bodily fluids of an infected person enter the bloodstream of another person through broken or damaged skin, mucous membranes, or other means. For tattoo artists, people doing body art such as body piercings, brandings, and body modifications, and even those doing cosmetic tattooing, accidental wounds caused by needles puncturing the skin (a.k.a. needlesticks) and other injuries involving sharp instruments are the most common ways that they and their clients may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens.
Why is Bloodborne Pathogens Training for Tattoo Artists Necessary?
The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set out a Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to protect employees who work in occupations where they are at risk of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. This standard includes but is not limited to, guidelines to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to pathogens, for the safe handling and disposal of instruments involved, and for communication and training about hazards posed by bloodborne pathogens.
Of course, when it comes to bloodborne pathogens, there’s no denying that prevention is best! To prevent infection, it’s best to practice universal precautions. Simply put, this is an approach to infection control where all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, HCV, and other bloodborne pathogens.
For body artists, this is particularly critical because of the nature of your work. Tattooing and body art involving modifications to the skin and flesh punctures the skin and directly exposes the body artist to blood. It also leaves the client with a concentrated area of entry for pathogens, which is all the more reason for additional precautions.
The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Certification for tattoo artists and body artists equips you with a better understanding of pathogens, their transmissibility, ways to reduce exposure risks, how to dispose of hazardous waste, how to deal with exposure incidents, and more. In certain states, bloodborne pathogens training for tattoo artists is even mandatory, and failure to comply could lead to stiff penalties for violation.
What Certification Do I Need to Tattoo or Do Body Art?
For tattoo artists and practitioners of body art, bloodborne pathogens training is highly recommended and even required in certain states. If you are operating out of regions like California, LA County, and Minnesota, you need to complete specific training courses to comply with federal, state, and local laws. Outside of these states, you may need a more general course that meets all of OSHA’s compliance requirements. Failure to complete the required training could result in you or your business facing potential litigation, financial costs from fines or closure, and your reputation being affected. In worst-case scenarios, it could even put you out of business.
Avoid putting yourself, your loved ones, your clients, and your business at risk by getting your body art bloodborne pathogens certificate. Getting a tattoo artist certification is easy enough and can be done online.
What is Covered in the BBP Certification for Tattoo Artists?
Premiere Education offers a variety of training courses on bloodborne pathogens for tattoo artists and body art practitioners, with state-specific options for California, LA county, and Minnesota, as well as a more general option for any state meeting all of OSHA’s compliance requirements.
In these courses, body artists will learn about:
– Terminology associated with federal, state, and local laws
– Different pathogens, how they are transmitted, and infection and risk factors for these pathogens
– Limiting pathogenic exposure and prevention techniques such as universal precautions, hand hygiene, PPE, cleaning & sterilization, and waste handling
– Handling exposure incidents and Infection Prevention Control Plans
And much more.
How can a Practitioner of Body Art Get a Bloodborne Pathogens Certificate?
The Premiere Education self-paced BBP courses are all available online, which makes them easy for tattoo artists and body art practitioners to complete in their own time, from the comfort of their home or workplace.
Learn from engaging courses, and receive your certificate automatically upon the completion of the course. All bloodborne pathogens training courses for tattoo artists are designed to be mobile-friendly and are accessible on mobile, tablet, or desktop devices. If you run a tattoo or body art studio with a team of artists and body art practitioners, you can also sign up for group discounts and keep track of employee progress as they work through the training courses.
We often think of being a tattoo artist or body art practitioner as a fun job or an enjoyable career, but it does come with its own set of challenges and risks. The BBP training ensures that anyone who may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens is well equipped to perform their job while maintaining safety measures.
Premiere Education offers OSHA-approved bloodborne pathogens training for tattoo artists courses that meet federal and state requirements. Getting certified and staying compliant with state regulations has never been easier. Simply choose the relevant course for your state (OSHA, California, LA county, and Minnesota), and sign up to get access today!