Bloodborne Cert

State rules

Bloodborne pathogens certification in Colorado: who needs it and what's accepted

Checked October 2026 · OSHA coverage: Federal OSHA

Federal OSHA enforces the bloodborne pathogens standard for private employers in Colorado. Employers in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins and Boulder and the rest of the state must train every employee with occupational exposure at hire and yearly, covering the elements in 29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(vii), and keep the record for three years. No agency approves the course; the employer accepts the certificate. Bloodborne Cert's online course covers those elements in about an hour, costs $18 per person, and is narrated in English, Spanish and Amharic. Colorado also has a licensing rule for tattoo, piercing and body art, described below.

Tattoo, piercing and body art in Colorado

Colorado has no state body-art license; county and district health departments license studios and set the training rule. Boulder County requires proof of a bloodborne pathogens course within 60 days of hire, renewed yearly; Arapahoe County requires an approved course within 90 days of hire; El Paso County accepts any course compliant with OSHA regulations when the certificate shows that compliance (confirmed in writing by El Paso County Public Health, October 2026). Check your county's body art page for its deadline and any provider list.

Source: Boulder County Body Art Regulations §2-201(b) (each county's rule is linked on the county table) · County and state body-art table on TattooCert

Who the rule covers in Colorado

Anyone whose job can reasonably be expected to involve contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials: nurses, CNAs and medical assistants; dental staff; home health aides; EMS; lab and phlebotomy staff; custodians and cleaning crews assigned to blood or sharps cleanup; school nurses and designated first-aid responders; child care staff; tattoo and piercing artists; and new hires in any of those roles. State and local government employees in Colorado are not covered by federal OSHA, but public employers commonly require the same training.

What this certificate shows

Your name, course and completion date, a retrain-by date 12 months out, a verification number and QR code anyone can check at bloodbornecert.com/verify, and on page 2 each OSHA training element the course covered. You get a reminder before the retrain-by date. Employers can buy seats for staff, invite them by email and see who has passed.

Questions

Does Colorado approve online bloodborne pathogens courses?
No state or federal agency approves general bloodborne pathogens courses; OSHA does not accredit training providers. In Colorado, as everywhere, the employer must provide training covering the elements in 29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(vii) and keep the record. An online course that covers those elements satisfies the rule. The exception is licensing: Colorado has a separate rule for tattoo, piercing and body art (see above).
Will my Colorado employer accept an online certificate?
Most do. The certificate should name the OSHA standard, show your name, completion date and provider, and be verifiable. Bloodborne Cert certificates carry a verification number anyone can check at bloodbornecert.com/verify and list the training elements on page 2. The employer still adds its own exposure control plan and a way to ask questions. Clinical sites and some employers name a provider, so ask first.
How often is bloodborne pathogens training required in Colorado?
Under OSHA, at the time of initial assignment and at least once a year after that, plus whenever tasks change in a way that affects exposure. Licensing rules for tattoo, piercing and body art in Colorado set their own schedule, described above.
Need the training? The course takes about an hour and issues the certificate the moment you pass. Get certified, or train your staff.

Sources

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