MAO Manual

Steps You Can Take to Prevent Disease Work Practices There are some important actions you should take to avoid catching a bloodborne illness.. An important step is to frequently wash your hands – especially after potential exposure to a bloodborne pathogen. You should wash your hands even if you were wearing gloves or some other protective gear. You should also make sure that after an exposure, you avoid any contact between hands and mucous membranes until your hands are washed. This includes eating, drinking, applying makeup, adjusting contact lenses or smoking. Remember, you should not bring your hands up to your face unless your gloves have been removed and your hands are washed. Protective Gear There are several items of protective gear that can be used to avoid exposure to a bloodborne pathogen. In general, you should use a piece of protective gear anywhere you anticipate contact with a potentially infectious material. For example, if you think there might be a change you could get some material on your hands, you should wear gloves. If you are doing rescue breathing as part of CPR, you should use a rescue breathing batrrier device. Contaminant Storage You should also make sure you store contaminated items in appropriate containers. If an item becomes soiled with a potentially infectious material, you should dispose of it appropriately. Decontamination When an object becomes soiled with a potentially infectious material, it should immediately dispose of the object appropriately if possible so as to minimize the chances of it infecting someone else. If disposal is not an option because the object is too valuable, then

the object must be decontaminated. This means that all potentially harmful viruses are removed from the object so as to make safe. Decontamination is accomplished with a broad spectrum germicide. There are several options available to perform decontamination: Commercial Germicides are products manufactured specifically to kil microorganisms and clean pathogens off a surface. Your employer may have identified a commercial gernicide he or she wants you to use at work. Bleach is also a very powerful broad spectrum germicide that is very effective against HIV and Hepatitis viruses. The general recommendation is that an cleaning be done using a 10% bleach – 90% water solution. Disposal If a material that needs to be disposed of is saturated with blood or bodily fluid, it should become biohazarded. Biohazarded materails become medical waste and end up being incinerated or otherwised processed in a special way. To biohazard a material, it should be placed into a biohazard bag and the bag must be kept isolated from others who might contact it and be exposed to it’s contents. Biohazard bags are florescent red or orange and are identified with a biohazard symbol.

Biohazard Symbol