Bibliographic review with the objective to identify the Brazilian legislation related to occupational exposure of health workers to biological material and compare it with the main recommendations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The information was searched by access to the websites of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Employment, ILO and CDC. The data collected were categorized into five themes for better understanding and analysis. We find that the Brazilian legislation covers most of the international recommendations, but the obligation of providing safety devices was later included in the legislation. It is concluded that workers need information about their rights and duties before the exposure to biological hazards.