Reducing Risk of Infection: Workplace Precautions

Standard Precautions in the Workplace

During this course, we will explore methods to reduce the risk of contact with infectious material. Standard precautions in all workplaces aim to protect employees, employers, and the public:

• Treat all bodily fluids as potentially infectious.
• Follow your employer’s Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure control plan, including:
• Training requirements
• Work practice controls
• Engineering controls
• Procedures for exposure incidents

Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

To reduce the risk of infection, always use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided by your employer:

• PPE includes gloves, masks, eye protection, aprons, and CPR shields.
• Know where your PPE is located, familiarise yourself with it, and use it correctly.

Additional Precautionary Steps

Further reduce the risk of infection with these steps:

• Avoid eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics, or handling contact lenses in areas with potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
• When handling trash, do not compress it with your hands and carry the bag away from your body.
• Follow facility procedures when handling laundry, always wearing PPE.
• Dispose of needles and sharps in rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant containers without bending or recapping.
• Use safer medical devices to minimise needle sticks, as per the Needlestick Prevention Act.
• When handling specimens or potentially infectious material, adhere to Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH regulations.

Sending Potentially Infectious Material by Post

If sending potentially infectious material by post:

• Ensure compliance with Post Office regulations for packaging.
• Use plastic containers with screw-caps to minimise leakage or breakage.
• Consult the Post Office for the latest instructions on posting pathological material.