On December 6, 1991, Federal OSHA promulgated a new occupational health standard for General Industry (Federal Register). This new standard is intended to eliminate or reduce the health risks associated with occupational exposure to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other bloodborne pathogens that can be transmitted through exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials, as defined in the standard.

This new federal final rule at 29 CFR 19210 Subpart Z was adopted verbatim in North Carolina by the Commissioner of Labor with an effective date of March 6, 1992.