DSHS – Protecting Yourself from Bloodborne Pathogens

Although your risk of exposure to blood borne diseases in the workplace is small, it still exists. Blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV), and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), have changed the way LTC workers work.

Protecting yourself from blood borne diseases on-thejob requires knowing the facts about how blood borne diseases are spread, washing your hands, and taking a few other sensible standard precautions.

Definitions

Bloodborne disease – disease causing germs spread through contact with blood or body fluids such as urine, feces, vomit, semen, and vaginal secretions.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Equipment or clothing such as gloves, gowns, or masks, designed
to prevent injury or illness from a specific hazard in the workplace.
Standard Precautions – accepted practices used to prevent infection from blood borne diseases.
Contaminated – dirty, or having touched blood or bodily fluids.
Immune system – what the body uses to fight off infection.

Standard Precautions

Standard Precautions are standard practices used to protect you and clients from exposure to blood borne diseases.
Germs and diseases can enter the body when body fluids or blood touch sores, nicks, or cuts on your skin.
ALWAYS use Standard Precautions in EVERY situation that could involve possible
contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
Standard precautions should be used with every client.
Standard precautions include washing your hands, wearing disposable gloves and other PPE, cleaning and disinfecting the environment, following special laundry procedures, properly disposing of contaminated waste and handling needles and sharps correctly. Treat all blood or body fluids as potentially infectious.

PPE

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Always wear gloves to protect your hands when having direct contact with blood or body fluids. Even tiny breaks or cracks in the skin from common conditions like dermatitis, hangnails, acne, chapping, or broken cuticles can be doorways for viruses to enter your body. Throw gloves away after use and wash your hands. Use additional PPE depending on the anticipated exposure.
This could be a:

Gown to protect your skin and clothing
Mask to protect your mouth or nose.
Goggles to protect your eyes.
Face shield to protect your face, mouth, eyes, and nose.

The risk of transmission of a blood borne pathogen to you as a LTC worker is extremely small if standard precautions are used.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Blood or Body Fluids

Wear gloves to protect your hands. Avoid tearing your gloves on any equipment.
Use disposable paper towels to soak up most of the blood.
Disinfect with an appropriate disinfecting solution such as ten parts water to one part bleach.
After cleaning up, disinfect mops and other cleaning equipment.
Remove gloves and throw them away.
Put all contaminated towels and waste in a sealed color-coded or labeled leak-proof container. –
Double bag all contaminated materials that are being thrown away.
Wash your hands when tasks are completed.

Wear gloves and use other needed PPE when you clean surfaces soiled with blood or other body fluids.

Dispose of contaminated items safely

Wear disposable gloves when picking up contaminated things.
Put any contaminated waste in a heavy-duty garbage bag and tie it.
Put this bag in another garbage bag, tie it, and label it “Biohazard”. Proper waste disposal is part of infection control.

If you:

Get a needle stick or puncture wound, wash thoroughly with soap and water or pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the wound. Get medical attention for further action.
Have any open area on your body such as a bite, scratch, or lesion that may have had blood or body fluid exposure, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water or pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the wound. Get medical attention for further action.

Reporting Exposure

There are specific guidelines you must know and follow if you have an unprotected exposure to blood or other body fluids in your job. It is your responsibility to know who you contact and the basic procedures you are to follow.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination
Depending on where you work and your job responsibilities, your employer may offer the HBV vaccination to you free of charge if you choose to get it. The vaccination protects you against the HBV virus. There is a series of three shots beginning with the first one and then again in one and six months.