How to manage blood borne virus exposure risks in the workplace

New code of practice

SafeWork NSW has published the 2026 How to manage blood-borne virus exposure risks in the workplace code of practice.

Read the new code

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback. Your contribution helped inform the new code of practice.

SafeWork NSW has published the new How to manage blood borne virus (BBV) exposure risks in the workplace – hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV code of practice.

The new code replaces the 2004 Control of work-related exposure to hepatitis and HIV (blood-borne) viruses code of practice.

Following consultation with stakeholders, we have created a new code that better meets modern safety standards and new ways of working. The code provides information and guidance to make sure risks from blood borne virus exposure are managed according to current work health and safety laws.

Tell us what you think

We are asking for your feedback to make sure the new code:

is relevant
is easy to understand
supports current and emerging work practices and technologies.

Your response will help make sure the new code supports industry’s needs and protects workers and the community.

This survey closed Sunday 31 August 2025.

Timeline

Timeline item 1 - complete

Consultation open

Have your say on the draft How to manage BBV exposure risks in the workplace code of practice by Sunday 31 August 2025.
Timeline item 2 - complete

Next steps

We are using your feedback to help inform the updated version of the code of practice.
Timeline item 3 - complete

New code published

The new How to manage BBV exposure risks in the workplace code of practice is now available.

SafeWork NSW Codes of Practice Review Team
cop.consultation@safework.nsw.gov.au

SafeWork NSW
If you have concerns about health and safety in the workplace, contact SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

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Privacy collection notice

1. Who we are
Your information is being collected by the Department of Customer Service (the Department) on behalf of SafeWork NSW. SafeWork NSW gives priority to protecting the privacy of your personal information, in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act).

If you have any questions about this privacy collection notice, or how we manage your personal information, contact our Privacy Team by emailing
privacy@safework.nsw.gov.au

2. Why we collect your personal information
SafeWork NSW is collecting your personal information for the purposes of obtaining your thoughts to inform the How to manage blood borne virus exposure risks in the workplace – hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV code of practice.

3. The kinds of information we collect
We may collect the following information:

your name (if you choose to provide this)
your email address (if you choose to provide this)
some limited occupation information
your feedback and opinion on the consultation subject
if you are registered to follow this consultation, the Department will be able to see the username and email address in your submission - even if you choose to answer the survey anonymously
any additional personal information you provide in free-text fields.

4. Failure to provide information
Your information is provided voluntarily. If you choose not to provide your information, you may not be able to:

complete the survey if that information is required
receive updates and outcome of this consultation
be contacted about your submission.

5. How we may use this information
We may use the information you provide in the following ways:

to create a report on the outcome of this consultation and to inform the How to manage blood borne virus exposure risks in the workplace – hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV code of practice
to share your submission (including any personal information) with SafeWork NSW
internal administrative purposes, including providing you with occasional updates and outcomes of this public consultation (if you provide your personal information and agree for us to do so)
to support more informed policy making, program management, evaluation, research and service planning as it may facilitate more efficient service delivery for residents and businesses in NSW.
to share your submission (including any personal information) with other parts of the Department, including the Data Analytics Centre, for the purposes of conducting analysis across all consultations and to refine our engagement methodology
other directly-related purposes.

6. Who we may share your information with
Your response along with your name or company/organisation, may be published in a report on the outcome of this consultation should you agree for us to do so. Your response will be published anonymously without your name, or your response will be kept private depending on what you have agreed to in this survey.

The Have Your Say website is owned and operated by the Department using software licensed from Social Pinpoint. For details of how Social Pinpoint may access personal information, refer to Social Pinpoint’s Privacy Policy.

We will not disclose your personal information to anybody unless we are authorised or permitted to do so by law or where you give consent. For a description of when this may occur, refer to our Privacy Statement.

7. Protecting your information
We will store and manage your information in accordance with the provisions of the PPIP Act. We have measures in place to help protect your personal information from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure or other misuse.

We will only keep information for as long as we need it to fulfil the purposes it has been collected for. After which, the information will be disposed of securely in accordance with the State Records Act 1998 and any other applicable legislation.

See our Privacy Management Plan for details on how we manage your personal information.

8. Your rights
Subject to certain conditions, you have the right to request:

access to your personal information
correction of your personal information.

If you wish to invoke any of these rights, email privacy@safework.nsw.gov.au

9. Contact us
If you would like to make a privacy enquiry or complaint, contact us at privacy@safework.nsw.gov.au

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How to manage blood borne virus exposure risks in the workplace

New code of practice

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