Blood and Body Fluid Spills Blood and body fluid spills should be attended to immediately and managed as follows: Impervious disposable gloves must be worn; Absorbent material such as paper towels, cloth or sawdust should be used to absorb the bulk of the blood or body fluid spill. This should be disposed of in an approved leak-proof contaminated waste bag or a double plastic bag tied off; Completely cover the spill with household bleach. Leave for at least ten minutes to neutralise any contaminants. Be aware that clothing, absorbent materials and carpets may retain traces of contaminants. Ensure that these items are properly sanitised (or disposed of) before re-use. Thoroughly clean the area with detergent and water; Large spills may be safely hosed away by persons wearing protective clothing (which includes disposable impervious gloves & overalls, goggles and wet weather gear). Personal Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids In the event of personal exposure to blood or body fluids, the following actions should be taken: wash away the blood or body fluid with soap and water; if the eyes are contaminated, rinse the eyes gently while open with copious amounts of water or saline solution; if blood gets into the mouth, spit it out and then rinse the mouth repeatedly with water, saline solution or any water based liquid; blood contaminated clothing should be removed immediately and the incident should be reported immediately to an appropriate person in the workplace, e.g., First Aid Officer or Supervisor; immediate medical attention should be provided the incident MUST be recorded and include date, time and type of exposure how the incident occurred details of source of exposure (if a person, then provide name) Infection Control Certain work activities expose staff to the risk of infection e.g. waste disposal, cleaning, construction or demolition work, child care. Although there are no specific control measures outlined in the Work Health and Safety Regulations, the general requirements for risk management should apply. Within some situations, e.g. child care centres and waste management, staff may be exposed to a range of potential biological hazards. The range of potential hazards faced by workers may be from minor seasonal influenza to the more severe threats posed by hepatitis C. It is also acknowledged that the risk assessment with regard to certain infectious diseases can be very difficult by virtue of their unpredictability. Infectious diseases includes amongst others: Hepatitis, A, B and C Measles
Blood and Body Fluid Spills Blood and body fluid spills should be attended to immediately and managed as follows: Impervious disposable gloves must be worn; Absorbent material such as paper towels, cloth or sawdust should be used to absorb the bulk of the blood or body fluid spill. This should be disposed of in an approved leak-proof contaminated waste bag or a double plastic bag tied off; Completely cover the spill with household bleach. Leave for at least ten minutes to neutralise any contaminants. Be aware that clothing, absorbent materials and carpets may retain traces of contaminants. Ensure that these items are properly sanitised (or disposed of) before re-use. Thoroughly clean the area with detergent and water; Large spills may be safely hosed away by persons wearing protective clothing (which includes disposable impervious gloves & overalls, goggles and wet weather gear). Personal Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids In the event of personal exposure to blood or body fluids, the following actions should be taken: wash away the blood or body fluid with soap and water; if the eyes are contaminated, rinse the eyes gently while open with copious amounts of water or saline solution; if blood gets into the mouth, spit it out and then rinse the mouth repeatedly with water, saline solution or any water based liquid; blood contaminated clothing should be removed immediately and the incident should be reported immediately to an appropriate person in the workplace, e.g., First Aid Officer or Supervisor; immediate medical attention should be provided the incident MUST be recorded and include date, time and type of exposure how the incident occurred details of source of exposure (if a person, then provide name) Infection Control Certain work activities expose staff to the risk of infection e.g. waste disposal, cleaning, construction or demolition work, child care. Although there are no specific control measures outlined in the Work Health and Safety Regulations, the general requirements for risk management should apply. Within some situations, e.g. child care centres and waste management, staff may be exposed to a range of potential biological hazards. The range of potential hazards faced by workers may be from minor seasonal influenza to the more severe threats posed by hepatitis C. It is also acknowledged that the risk assessment with regard to certain infectious diseases can be very difficult by virtue of their unpredictability. Infectious diseases includes amongst others: Hepatitis, A, B and C Measles