Download Protecting Yourself From Exposure To

Protecting Yourself From Exposure To
Bloodborne Pathogens
“Making a PACT, Know How to Act”
PROTECT — Protect yourself from blood or blood-containing materials. This
includes wearing protective equipment such as gloves and goggles and using a
breathing barrier if you are performing CPR. Consider your options if you find
yourself with no protective equipment.
ACT — If you find you have come into contact with another person’s blood or
other body fluids, act quickly and safely. Wash the area immediately with hot, soapy water for
up to a minute before rinsing. If your eyes have been contaminated, flush them with clean water
for up to five minutes. If a flushing agent is not available at the scene, have someone get water
for you.
CLEAN — After an emergency, especially in the shop area or office, clean any areas
contaminated with blood or body fluids. Wear protective equipment. Clean the area with a
solution of 1-part bleach and 10-parts water. Completely flush the area and let the solution stand
for at least three minutes. Be careful when wiping up the area, especially if you are dealing with
broken glass or wood or metal splinters. Put all soiled items, including soiled cleaning materials,
in a plastic bag and take it to the dumpster as soon as you are finished. If clean-up materials
contains a large amount of blood (squeezed, blood would be released), those items need to be
disposed of in a biohazard bag (red orange bag). You can’t dispose of the red orange bag in the
regular dumpster. You need to contact a special hauler – LB Medwaste 715-842-2048.
TELL — Report the incident immediately to your supervisor. Complete County Worker’s
Compensation Injury/Accident Report form.
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BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS: Viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood and can
cause disease in people such as: HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. To actually get HIV,
Hepatitis B or C, the virus must get inside your body.
HIV does not survive out of the body. When HIV infected human blood or other bodily
fluid is dried, the risk of environmental transmission is essentially reduced to zero. It is
estimated that the chances of contracting HIV in a work setting are only 0.4%.
However, because it is such a devastating disease, all precautions should be taken to
avoid exposure. HIV may lead to AIDS which attacks the body’s immune system,
weakening it so that it cannot fight other deadly diseases. AIDS is a fatal disease and
while treatment for it is improving, there is no known cure.
Hepatitis B and C infects the liver. Hepatitis B and C can survive for at least one
week in dried blood on environmental surfaces such as a worktable, knife, tools, broken
glass, sharp metal, etc. For this reason, this virus is the primary concern in the work
setting. Symptoms are very like a mild “flu”. After exposure, it can take one to nine
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months before symptoms become noticeable. Loss of appetite and stomach pain, for
example, commonly appear within 1 to 3 months, but can occur so soon as two weeks or
as long as 6 to 9 months after infection. A blood test is done to determine if you have
Hepatitis B or C. There is no cure for Hepatitis B or C.
There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B which prevents Hepatitis B disease and its serious
complications. The vaccine has been shown to be very safe when given to infants,
children and adults.
There is NO vaccine for Hepatitis C. That’s why there are a higher percentage of people
who are chronically infected with Hepatitis C which means there are large numbers of
infected people in the workforce.
Hepatitis B Vaccine: Contact Sharon Hernandez @ 715-261-1457 if you wish to
receive the Hepatitis B vaccine which is a series of three shots over a 6 month period.
Marathon County will also pay for the Blood Titre test which will show whether your
series of shots were effective. If not, another Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended along
with another Blood Titre.
IDENTIFY POTENTIAL EXPOSURE AT WORK
- Co-worker suffers a bleeding injury
- Administering first Aid or CPR
- Touching a contaminated surface
- Assigned to clean-up blood after an accident
- Contact with contaminated paper products or equipment in restrooms
- Using a tool covered with dried blood
- Cuts from other contaminated sharps (broken glass, razor, etc.)
- Bite which punctures/penetrates the skin
BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS ARE NOT
- Spread through the air like a cold or the flu
- Transmitted by working next to someone who is infected
- Spread via drinking fountains, food, coughing or sneezing
ROUTES OF ENTRY
- Contaminated blood must make direct contact with your blood.
- Eyes, nose, mouth
- Cuts, abrasions, dermatitis, hangnails
PROTECT YOURSELF – UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
- Treat all blood and other potentially infected materials as if it contains Bloodborne
Pathogens.
- Wearing gloves. If glove is damaged, don’t use it.
- Use breathing masks or barriers for CPR.
- Wear safety glasses or goggles when blood may splash into eyes.
- Use impromptu barriers such as piece of plastic, a clean plastic garbage bag, paper or
your shirt. The idea is to use something as a barrier between your skin and the
victim’s blood or other potentially infected materials.
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When taking gloves off, do so carefully. Make sure you don’t touch the outside of
the glove with any bare skin, and be sure to dispose of them properly so that
somebody else won’t come in contact with them either.
Normal clothing that becomes contaminated with blood or potentially infectious
materials should be removed as soon as possible.
Hand washing is one of the most important practices used to prevent transmission of
Bloodborne pathogens. Exposed skin and hands should be thoroughly washed as
soon as possible following an exposure incident. Use an antibacterial soap. When
water is not readily available, use alcohol-based hand rub. However, you must wash
your hands (or affected areas) with soap and running water as soon as possible.
Flush eyes with large amounts of clean water following exposure.
Decontaminate work surfaces and items when contaminated with blood
or potentially infectious materials. Use 1-part bleach to 10-parts water
(1 cup bleach to 1 gallon water) or a premade bleach disinfectant spray.
If you are cleaning up blood, cover the spill with paper towels or rags,
then gently pour the bleach solution or disinfectant over the towels and
leave it for at least 10 minutes. Any materials you use to clean up a
spill must be decontaminated or thrown away.
Handle needles or other sharps carefully and dispose of them properly.
Don’t break or shear contaminated needles or sharps.
IN THE EVENT OF A WORK RELATED EXPOSURE
- Clean and wash the exposed area with soap and water. If the exposed area
is the eye, nose or mouth, flush with water.
- Fill out the State of Wisconsin Determination of Exposure to Blood/Body
Fluids form found in your exposure kit, obtained from your supervisor or
available at Emergency Room.
- Go to the Emergency Room and register as a worker’s compensation injury.
Have the hospital bill the Marathon County Employee Resources Department.
Physician will perform a post-exposure medical evaluation.
- Complete the Marathon County’s worker’s compensation injury/accident report form,
forward to your supervisor. Your supervisor will complete their section and forward
to the Employee Resources Department.
- Source person’s blood may be tested (where blood and/or other potentially infected
materials came from) when physician determines there was a significant exposure.
- The physician may also recommend that your blood be tested initially and possibly
follow-up testing. The physician may also recommend treatment plan.
QUESTIONS
- Contact your supervisor or Sharon Hernandez in the Marathon County Employee
Resources Department – 715-261-1547.
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