Your cleaners aren't nurses. They're not drawing blood or changing wound dressings. But they're the ones wiping down exam tables, emptying trash cans, and mopping bathroom floors after patients leave. That means they're walking into exposure risk every single shift. A bandage in the waste bin. A smear on a doorknob. A splash in a restroom sink. If your crew doesn't know what they're looking at—or what to do when they find it—you've got a liability problem and a safety failure waiting to happen.

OSHA doesn't care that your people aren't clinical staff. Under 29 CFR 1910.1030, anyone with "reasonably anticipated" contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials falls under the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. That includes janitorial workers in medical facilities. Full stop. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV—these aren't abstract threats. They're real pathogens that survive on surfaces and transmit through cuts, cracked skin, or mucous membranes. One moment of ignorance—bare hands on a contaminated surface, improper disposal, skipped PPE—can change someone's life permanently.

Training isn't a checkbox. It's protection. Your crew needs to recognize biohazard labels, understand universal precautions, know how to handle contaminated materials, and respond correctly if exposure happens. They need to know why the gloves matter, why the disinfectant contact time matters, why reporting matters. When your people understand the stakes, they stop cutting corners. They protect themselves, they protect your clients, and they protect your business from OSHA citations and worse.

Bottom line: Bloodborne pathogen training is non-negotiable for any cleaning operation in healthcare environments. If your vendor can't prove their crews are trained and compliant, find one who can.