Reducing Risk of Infection: Workplace Precautions

Standard Precautions

Standard precautions are essential in all workplaces to mitigate the risk of exposure to infectious material. Key precautions include:

• Treating all bodily fluids as potentially infectious: Every bodily fluid should be handled with caution.
• Following employer's Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan: This plan outlines:
• Training requirements
• Work practice controls
• Engineering controls
• Procedures for exposure incidents
• Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Always utilise PPE provided by your employer, including gloves, masks, eye protection, aprons, and CPR shields.
• Familiarising yourself with PPE: Know how to use and locate your PPE within the workplace.
• Checking first aid kits: Ensure they contain disposable gloves, face shields, or rescue masks.

Additional Precautions

Further steps to reduce the risk of infection:

• Avoiding certain activities: Refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics, or handling contact lenses in areas where exposure to bloodborne pathogens is possible.
• Handling trash: Do not compress trash with hands and lift trash bags away from the body.
• Handling laundry: Adhere to facility procedures and wear PPE.
• Dealing with needles and sharps: Discard in appropriate containers and avoid recapping needles. Utilise safer medical devices as required by regulations.
• Handling specimens: Follow Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH regulations. Additional regulations may apply, such as the carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles Regulations 1996.
• Posting potentially infectious material: Follow Post Office guidelines for safe posting, ensuring containers have screw-caps to minimise leakage.

Consult relevant authorities and websites for detailed instructions and regulations regarding the handling and transportation of specimens.