On July 23, 1987, OSHA announced at a Congressional hearing that health care employees should apply the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to protect workers against exposure to HIV and AIDS in the work place and that it would be enforcing the application of precautions through inspection of employers. On October 30, 1987, this policy was implemented through a Joint Advisory Notice with the Department of Health and Human Services. The notice indicated several steps that employers should take to protect their employees from exposure to HIV and Hepatitis B, in addition to the CDC guidelines. Employers are to examine their work place conditions and classify work-related tasks in one of three categories, depending on potential exposure to the viruses. Each category of potential exposure mandates appropriate protective procedures. Employees in nonhealth care settings have little risk from exposure to HIV in the work place, so no special precautions are required. This article details the CDC guidelines with respect to protective procedures for health care workers. 28 footnotes.