Last reviewed 9 November 2026 against the sources linked in this post.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 385,000 needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries to hospital-based healthcare personnel each year. Bloodborne pathogens training is how a lab or phlebotomy team turns that risk into habits.
This is a list of 10 ready-made courses for lab managers and phlebotomy supervisors who onboard and refresh technicians. One point first: these templates are not an OSHA certificate course. They give you the content and a live deck to run yourself, and the standard sets conditions for who trains and how, which we explain below. Each group ends with an Our pick.
All 10 courses at a glance
| Course | What it covers | Length | US rule or guidance behind the topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodborne pathogens: healthcare | Sharps, PPE, exposure control and what to do after an exposure | 55 min | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030 |
| Infection control & standard precautions | Hand hygiene and standard precautions for every sample | 40 min | CDC guidance, not a statute |
| Blood transfusion safety | Patient identification and sample labelling, bedside checks | 45 min | None cited here |
| Chemical and hazardous substance safety | Labels, data sheets, storage and spills | 40 min | OSHA 1910.1200 and 1910.1450 |
| HIPAA privacy rule essentials | When patient information may be used or shared | 35 min | 45 CFR 164.530(b) |
| Workplace violence prevention in healthcare | Warning signs, de-escalation and reporting | 40 min | None cited here |
| Emergency action & fire prevention plans | Raising the alarm and getting out safely | 30 min | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 |
| Harassment prevention: employees (US federal) | What harassment is and how to report it | 45 min | Harassment can be unlawful (EEOC) |
| Respectful workplace & anti-bullying | Naming and responding to everyday disrespect | 35 min | None cited here |
| Resilience, stress and wellbeing at work | Recognising strain and where to get support | 35 min | None cited here |
Blood safety and infection control
Every draw and every sample carries exposure risk, so these three come first.
Bloodborne pathogens: healthcare
OSHA's standard says the employer must train each employee with occupational exposure at the time of initial assignment and at least annually after that. This 55-minute course has nine lessons: why the standard exists, how hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV spread, safer sharps, PPE and waste, your exposure control plan, the hepatitis B vaccine and what to do when an exposure happens. Needlesticks and splashes are a real risk for phlebotomists and lab staff, and the page lists them among who it is for. One moment to use in the session: where should a used needle go, and why not back in its cap?
Infection control & standard precautions
This 40-minute course teaches hand hygiene, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions and keeping the environment and equipment clean. It is built on the CDC's core infection prevention practices, which are guidance rather than a law. Staff and patients are both protected when the same habits apply to every sample, not just the ones that look risky. Its norovirus story is a good opener: small gaps in hand hygiene between rooms can spread germs across a whole unit. For the list of precautions itself, see our guide to standard precautions for infection control.
Blood transfusion safety
The page says this 45-minute course is written for registered nurses and midwives, but its first lesson, on positive patient identification and sample labelling, is useful for anyone who labels a tube. It also covers bedside pre-transfusion checks, transfusion reactions, the major haemorrhage protocol and anticoagulants. A wrong label starts a chain of errors that nobody downstream can see. Use its question in the session: what does positive patient identification mean before a sample is taken?
Our pick: Bloodborne pathogens: healthcare. It is built around the bloodborne pathogens standard itself, and it gives you a ready exposure-response lesson to adapt to your own lab.
Lab hazards and patient privacy
Labs hold reagents and patient information in the same room.
Chemical and hazardous substance safety
OSHA's hazard communication rule says employers must provide effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in the work area at initial assignment. Where a laboratory uses hazardous chemicals, OSHA's laboratory standard has its own training duty, so check which applies to you. This 40-minute course covers labels and pictograms, safety data sheets, storage and incompatibles, spills and decontamination. Run its question in the session: which label element tells you how to handle a product safely?
HIPAA privacy rule essentials
HIPAA's Privacy Rule says a covered entity must train all members of its workforce on the policies and procedures for protected health information, as necessary for their functions. This 35-minute course teaches what counts as protected information, when it can be used or shared and how to escalate. Sample labels and results can identify a patient, so every technician handles protected information. Its opening question suits a lab: a coworker is also a patient, so can you open her chart to see how she is doing?
Our pick: Chemical and hazardous substance safety. Most labs run on labels and data sheets, and this course gives the team one common way to read them.
Safety and wellbeing at work
Phlebotomists work with anxious patients and small teams. These five keep the workplace safe and fair.
Workplace violence prevention in healthcare
This 40-minute course teaches how to know the hazard, set up controls, de-escalate, and report and recover. Phlebotomists often meet patients who are anxious, in pain or waiting too long. Run its de-escalation scenario in the session and let the team talk through what they would say. Our guide to workplace violence in healthcare goes further for managers.
Emergency action & fire prevention plans
OSHA's rule says an employer must review the emergency action plan with each employee when the plan is developed or the employee is first assigned to a job. This 30-minute course teaches how to raise the alarm, get out safely and stay or shelter. Labs hold chemicals and equipment that complicate a fire and an evacuation. The rule applies only where an OSHA standard requires a plan, so check with your safety lead.
Harassment prevention: employees (US federal)
The EEOC says harassment becomes unlawful where enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or where the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. This 45-minute course teaches what harassment is, how to spot it and respond, and how to speak up. A small lab team needs clear rules and a clear way to report. Ask the room to sort examples into unlawful harassment, a policy breach or acceptable behaviour.
Respectful workplace & anti-bullying
This 35-minute course separates everyday disrespect from unlawful harassment, then gives simple things to say and ways to raise a concern. Respectful teamwork helps handovers, because people who feel safe speak up about a doubtful label. Use its question in the session: why does everyday disrespect matter for a team?
Resilience, stress and wellbeing at work
This 35-minute course teaches how to recognise strain in yourself and others, a simple recovery process and where to get support. High volumes and anxious patients make stress management practical. Ask the team, in a Word Cloud, what a rushed morning round feels like.
Our pick: Workplace violence prevention in healthcare. Few technicians have rehearsed what to say to an angry patient while holding a needle.
How to roll the plan out
Start with the courses tied to a rule: bloodborne pathogens, chemical safety, privacy and the emergency action plan. Add infection control and the respect courses to onboarding. Then schedule the annual bloodborne pathogens refresher, and finish with role-specific depth such as sample-labelling practice.
Anchor each session to the same fact: the CDC's estimate of about 385,000 sharps injuries a year among hospital-based staff. For a team that also includes nurses, our guide to training for registered nurses covers the clinical side.
Does a template meet the OSHA standard?
The standard sets conditions that a template alone does not meet. The training must include an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with the person conducting the training session, and that person must be knowledgeable in the subject as it relates to your workplace. The template's page says the same: run the live deck, or give a phone or chat line that is answered during the course. Email answered later does not count. Records of the dates, contents, trainer's name and qualifications, and attendees must be kept for 3 years. A certificate from a template is a record of completion, not an OSHA certification. If your lab needs one, check your rules and ask a qualified provider.
Ways to run these courses on AhaSlides
You can offer all 10 in three formats:
- Self-paced courses. Use the AhaSlides course creator to send each new technician a course to complete before their first supervised draw.
- A live Q&A deck. Collect questions ahead of the session, then answer them in the room. For running it well, see our 9 tips for a successful Q&A session.
- Surveys. Use the post-course survey and 30-day check-in that come with each template, or add a before-and-after Rating Scale in the live deck, and see how to track employee training completion.
Four slide types do most of the work:
- Pick Answer. Ask: "Where should a used needle go?" Show the split before you reveal the answer.
- Word Cloud. Ask: "What is the hardest moment in a busy draw round?" The biggest words show where the team needs practice.
- Rating Scale. Ask, before and after: "How confident are you in the steps after a needlestick?" Rate from 1 to 5 and compare the averages.
- Open Ended. Ask: "What would you say to an anxious patient before the draw?" Answers can be anonymous, so people say what they think.
FAQ
What training do phlebotomists need?
Technique and certification come from an accredited programme, which no template replaces. Your workplace then adds bloodborne pathogens training at the start and at least annually for staff with occupational exposure, plus infection control and privacy training.
What is bloodborne pathogen training?
Instruction on how infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV spread through blood and how to prevent exposure. In the US, OSHA's standard requires it for employees with occupational exposure, and it must cover what to do after an exposure incident.
How do labs prevent sample mislabelling?
By confirming identity with the patient before labelling. The transfusion safety course teaches that the patient states their full name and date of birth, and you check it against the wristband and paperwork. Reading the name out lets an anxious patient agree to the wrong one.
This post is general information, not legal advice. For a decision about your own workplace, speak to a qualified lawyer or the regulator.
