(a) “Injury” includes a reaction to or a side effect arising from health care provided by an employer to a health care worker, which health care is intended to prevent the development or manifestation of any bloodborne disease, illness, syndrome, or condition recognized as occupationally incurred by Cal-OSHA, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or other appropriate governmental entities. This section shall apply only to preventive health care that the employer provided to a health care worker under the following circumstances: (1) prior to an exposure because of risk of occupational exposure to such a disease, illness, syndrome, or condition, or (2) where the preventive care is provided as a consequence of a documented exposure to blood or bodily fluid containing blood that arose out of and in the course of employment. Such a disease, illness, syndrome, or condition includes, but is not limited to, hepatitis, and the human immunodeficiency virus. Such preventive health care, and any disability indemnity or other benefits required as a result of the preventive health care provided by the employer, shall be compensable under the workers’ compensation system. The employer may require the health care worker to document that the employer provided the preventive health care and that the reaction or side effects arising from the preventive health care resulted in lost work time, health care costs, or other costs normally compensable under workers’ compensation.
(b) The benefits of this section shall not be provided to a health care worker for a reaction to or side effect from health care intended to prevent the development of the human immunodeficiency virus if the worker claims a work-related exposure and if the worker tests positive within 48 hours of that exposure to a test to determine the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus.
(c) For purposes of this section, “health care worker” includes any person who is an employee of a provider of health care as defined in Section 56.05 of the Civil Code, and who is exposed to human blood or other bodily fluids contaminated with blood in the course of employment, including, but not limited to, a registered nurse, a licensed vocational nurse, a certified nurse aide, clinical laboratory technologist, dental hygienist, physician, janitor, and housekeeping worker. “Health care worker” does not include an employee who provides employee health services for an employer primarily engaged in a business other than providing health care.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 444, Sec. 19. (SB 138) Effective January 1, 2014.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018