Infectious Disease Control Procedures
Infectious Disease Control Procedures
The following infectious disease control procedures are provided to help protect the health and safety of all Questar III employees.
Standard Precautions
The most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is to consistently follow Standard Precautions in all work locations and during all work activities. Employees should:- Treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious.
- Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, whenever exposure to blood or body fluids is anticipated.
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after removing gloves, after any potential contamination, and before leaving the work area.
- Plan work activities to minimize the risk of accidental exposure.
- Dispose of sharps only in approved puncture-resistant sharps containers.
- Never bend, break, recap, or resheath needles.
- Use an appropriate resuscitation barrier device instead of direct mouth-to-mouth contact.
- Clean and disinfect equipment and work surfaces after use and before servicing.
Cleaning Procedures for Blood and Body Fluid Spills
Appropriate precautions must be taken whenever cleaning blood or other body fluids.Definitions:
- Body Fluids: Blood, saliva, tears, urine, feces, and other potentially infectious body fluids.
- Bleach Solution: A solution of 10% household bleach and 90% water, prepared fresh daily.
- Regulated Waste: Materials saturated with blood or other potentially infectious materials that would release these substances if compressed, as well as other regulated medical waste requiring special disposal.
Cleaning Procedures
- Wear disposable gloves whenever assisting an individual who is bleeding or requires toileting assistance.
- Dispose of contaminated materials in a plastic-lined waste container. Regulated waste must be disposed of in designated red biohazard bags or approved sharps containers.
- Wash hands immediately after removing gloves. If handwashing facilities are unavailable, such as on a bus or playground, use appropriate hand-cleaning supplies and wash with soap and water as soon as possible.
- When cleaning blood or body fluid spills, wear gloves and disinfect the area using a freshly prepared 10% bleach solution or another EPA-approved disinfectant appropriate for the surface. Allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for at least one minute before cleaning.
- If bleach may damage the surface, use an approved disinfectant according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Clean and disinfect restroom facilities regularly while wearing appropriate PPE. Waste receptacles should be lined with plastic bags.
Exposure Incidents
An exposure incident is contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials through:- A needlestick or other puncture injury;
- Broken or non-intact skin; or
- The eyes, nose, mouth, or other mucous membranes.
If an Exposure Incident Occurs
- Immediately wash the affected area with soap and water. If exposure involves the eyes, nose, or mouth, flush thoroughly with water.
- Immediately notify the on-site Questar III Nurse or the Director of School Health Services.
- Complete an Exposure Report Form for all potential exposure incidents, regardless of the perceived level of risk.
- Submit a Questar III Injury Report through the Health and Safety Office in accordance with the workplace injury reporting process.
- If using the paper Exposure Report Form, scan and email or send it through inter-agency mail to the appropriate office as soon as possible. A digital Exposure Report Form is also available for submission.
Exposure Report Forms
Exposure Report Forms are available in both digital and paper formats.- A completed Exposure Report Form is required for every potential exposure incident.
- Paper forms should be scanned and emailed or sent through inter-agency mail to the appropriate office as soon as possible.