Skip Navigation

Impact of HIV & AIDS

Labor Impact

How can labor Organizations responds?

Learning how to prevent occupational exposure to HIV is one of the goals of the education component of the Labor Responds to AIDS (LRTA) Program. This information can be used by labor leaders, labor organization educators and workers to assess, develop, and prevent occupational exposure to HIV and other infectious diseases.

For Labor Leaders:



  • Become familiar with various kinds of bloodborne infections, including HIV;
  • Explore the actual tasks on the job that could expose a worker to blood and body fluids that could transmit bloodborne diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C;
  • Learn ways in which workers can prevent being exposed to blood on the job, including universal precautions and the requirements for employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard; and
  • Know what to do if a worker is exposed to blood, body fluids containing visible blood, or the concentrated virus on the job.

For Labor Organization Educators:



  • Plan and conduct a workshop on preventing occupational exposure to bloodborne diseases

For Workers:



  • Evaluate the safety of their own workplace;
  • Identify problems;
  • Work with management to solve those problems;
  • Share this information at health and safety committee meetings or joint labor management meetings;
  • Encourage workers to practice universal precautions; and
  • Encourage workers who are eligible to get the hepatitis B vaccine.

For Stewards or Business Representatives:



  • Take a proactive role in problem solving in the workplace. For example, they could use this information to help workers get safer medical devices, such as needleless IV systems and self-resheathing needles.

Labor leaders and workers who have additional questions or concerns should contact their health and safety representative for more information. For up-to-date information on occupational exposure to HIV and occupational risk reduction call CDC’s Business and Labor Resource Service (BLRS) at 1-877-242-9760 or 1-240-514-2780 (TTY).