Infection Prevention Manual

EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN patients, regardless of diagnosis will protect health care workers who have occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious body fluids. Under certain circumstances where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluid types, all fluids shall be assumed to be potentially infectious. B. ENGINEERING AND WORK PRACTICE CONTROLS 1. Engineering and Work Practice Controls shall be used to eliminate or minimize health care worker exposure. Engineering Controls shall be examined and maintained, or replaced on a regular schedule to ensure their effectiveness. Handwashing - Hands will be thoroughly washed between all direct patient contact and after handling soiled or contaminated equipment. Antiseptic hand cleanser or towlettes shall be used when handwashing facilities in the home are inadequate. Hands shall be washed with soap and running water as soon as feasible. Hands and other skin surfaces will be washed immediately and thoroughly if contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious body fluids. Hands will be washed immediately after gloves are removed. Refer to Agency Infection Control policy and procedures on handwashing. 2. Handling of needles and other contaminated sharps . This Exposure Control Plan shall be reviewed and updated at least ANNUALLY and whenever necessary to reflect new or modified tasks and procedures which affect occupational exposure and to reflect new or revised employee positions with occupational exposure. The review and update of this plan shall also: (a) Reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens; and (b) Document ANNUALLY consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure. The HHA solicits input from non-managerial employees responsible for direct patient care who are potentially exposed to injuries from contaminated sharps in the identification, evaluation, and selection of effective engineering and work practice controls and shall document the solicitation in this Exposure Control Plan. Sharps will be discarded into an approved container Sharps disposal containers shall be easily accessible to health care workers and located in the immediate area of use. Sharps containers will be replaced when materials placed into it reach the designated fill line, or if a fill line is not indicated, when 3/4 full. Sharps disposal containers must be in an upright position during use and secured from falling. Used needles and other sharps must not be sheared, bent, broken, recapped or resheathed by hand. * Refer to Agency Biomedical Waste Plan. 3. Eating, Drinking, Smoking, Gloves, etc. Eating, drinking, smoking, applying of cosmetics and handling of contact lenses are prohibited in patient care areas where there is a potential for occupational exposure. Food and drink will not be stored in refrigerators, freezers or cabinets where blood or other potentially infectious body fluids are stored. Mouth pipetting/suctioning of blood or other potentially infectious body fluids is prohibited. All non-invasive equipment and working surfaces will be examined, properly cleaned and disinfected after contact with blood or other potentially infectious body fluids. Chemical germicides that are approved can be used to decontaminate spills of blood or other potentially infectious body fluids. Gloves shall be worn when cleaning spills of blood and other potentially infectious body fluids. Red biomedical waste bags shall be available in areas where biomedical waste may be generated. Soiled linen shall be handled as little as possible and with a minimum of agitation.