OPIM stands for Other Potentially Infectious Materials in workplace safety, the term used in bloodborne pathogen training for body fluids and tissues that can carry germs such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Nurses, school staff, dental workers, lab techs, custodians and first aid volunteers learn the term in their yearly training.
On a college campus, the same letters can name a field of study: Operations and Information Management, a business department and major that mixes supply chains, data and information systems. Which one you mean depends on whether you are holding a safety handout or a course catalog.
Quick facts
Stands for (safety)
Other Potentially Infectious MaterialsStands for (business school)
Operations and Information ManagementType
Initialism, sometimes said as a wordHow to say it
O P I M, or OH-pimSeen in
Bloodborne pathogen training, exposure control plans, course listsRelated terms
OSHA, PPE, BBP, universal precautions
What does OPIM stand for in safety training?
| Letter | Word |
|---|---|
| O | Other |
| P | Potentially |
| I | Infectious |
| M | Materials |
The word "other" matters. Blood is named on its own in the federal bloodborne pathogens standard from OSHA. OPIM covers everything else that can carry the same viruses. Training classes often pair the two as "blood or OPIM."
What counts as OPIM
The standard lists these as other potentially infectious materials:
- Semen and vaginal secretions
- Cerebrospinal fluid, from around the brain and spine
- Synovial fluid, from the joints
- Pleural, pericardial and peritoneal fluid, from around the lungs, heart and belly
- Amniotic fluid
- Saliva during dental procedures
- Any body fluid with visible blood in it
- Any body fluid when you cannot tell which fluid it is
- Unfixed human tissue or organs, other than intact skin
- Certain lab cultures and materials that contain HIV or hepatitis B
Things like sweat, tears, urine, vomit and ordinary saliva are not on the list unless blood is visible in them. Many workplaces still treat every body fluid with care, an approach called universal or standard precautions.
OPIM on the job
From a school exposure control plan: "Staff who clean up blood or OPIM must wear gloves and dispose of materials in a labeled biohazard bag." In plain words, if a student has a nosebleed or gets sick with blood present, put on gloves before you help clean it up.
Employers whose workers may touch blood or OPIM need a written exposure control plan, training each year, the hepatitis B vaccine offered at no cost to workers at risk, and the right protective gear. Gloves, gowns, face shields and masks fall under PPE. If an exposure happens, such as a needlestick or a splash to the eyes, the worker should wash the area, report it right away and get a medical evaluation.
OPIM stands for a business major too
In business schools, OPIM can stand for Operations and Information Management. The University of Connecticut's business school, for one, uses the name for a department and major. Students study how companies run day to day and how they use data:
- Supply chain and operations planning
- Business analytics and data tools
- Information systems and databases
- Project management
Graduates often work as analysts, consultants or operations managers, and some go on to an MBA. You may also see related course codes listed next to other campus terms in the school acronyms section.
Saying and spelling OPIM
- All capitals, no periods: OPIM.
- Trainers usually spell out "other potentially infectious materials" the first time, then use the letters.
- Most people say the letters, O P I M. Some instructors say it as one word, OH-pim.
- It is already plural in meaning, so no s is needed: "blood and OPIM."
For more on how letter groups are read, see acronym vs abbreviation.
Questions people ask
What does OPIM mean in healthcare?
It means other potentially infectious materials, the body fluids and tissues besides blood that are covered by bloodborne pathogen rules. Workers treat them as if they could carry infection.
Is saliva considered OPIM?
Saliva counts as OPIM during dental procedures, where it often contains blood. Ordinary saliva elsewhere is not on the list unless blood is visible.
Is urine OPIM?
Not by itself. Urine becomes OPIM only when it is visibly contaminated with blood. Many workplaces still use gloves for it as a basic precaution.
What is an OPIM major?
At some universities it is Operations and Information Management, a business major focused on operations, data analytics and information systems.
What is the difference between blood and OPIM?
Blood is listed by name in the standard. OPIM is the catch all for the other materials that can spread the same germs.