Blood Borne Pathogens - 9 Important Rules To Be Followed By Employees

If you are an employee who reasonably anticipates coming into contact with blood or other potentially infectious body fluids like semen and vaginal secretions, while performing your assigned duties, you should receive blood borne pathogens training. Getting sufficient knowledge about the health hazards caused by blood borne pathogens can help reduce the risk from the exposure to these harmful microorganisms. The employer is responsible to provide personal protective equipment that will act as an impervious barrier between you and blood or other potentially infectious substance.

Rules To Be Followed

1. You should always wear personal protective equipment, before exposing to blood or bodily fluid. You should remember to use universal precautions always. Universal precautions stress that all blood and body fluids should be assumed as potentially infectious. If the gloves you wear are thin or fragile, you need to wear another pair of gloves over them to provide an extra layer of protection. If you have cuts or sores in your hand, you should cover them with a bandage before wearing gloves.


2. You should not use personal protective equipment that is torn or damaged. The damaged protective equipment loses its ability to prevent you from the infection caused by blood borne pathogens.


3. You should remove and discard protective equipment in appropriate containers before leaving the work area. Ensure whether contaminated gloves, clothes and other equipment remain in appropriately labeled bags until they are disposed of or decontaminated.


4. If your normal clothing it is contaminated, with blood or bodily fluids you should remove them as soon as possible. The fluids may seep through the cloth and contact with your skin. You should place them in labeled container or bag, until they are decontaminated and laundered.


5. Hand washing is the most effective method that can help prevent blood borne pathogen transmission. You should wash your hands immediately after removing gloves and other personal protective equipment. A soft, antibacterial soap can be used to wash your hands. You should flush mucous membranes with plenty of water, if blood or body fluids splashed into them.


6. If your working area has reasonable likelihood of exposure, you should not eat, drink, smoke or contact lenses. You should not keep food items or beverages in the refrigerator or shelf where blood or body fluids are kept.


7. The surface areas, tools and equipment that come in contact with blood or body fluids should be decontaminated and sterilized as quickly as possible.


8. If you are responsible for disposing needles and sharps, you should do it properly. More frequently, infection transmits via improperly disposed needles and sharp instruments. You should not try to bend or recap needles. Ensure the containers used to keep sharps and needles for disposal are puncture resistant and leak proof.


9. You should affix warning labels on the containers containing regulated waste. The label must be fluorescent orange red or red.

There is no cure for certain diseases like hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Hence, blood borne pathogen transmission should be prevented. Some simple precautionary methods are sufficient to get maximum protection.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act) and blood borne pathogen training courses help employees who are at risk of exposure to blood borne pathogens to get awareness of HIPAA security and privacy rules.