Transcript Document 7148544

Bloodborne Pathogen
Standard for
VDH Employees
Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
• The Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) Standard was
written by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA)
• Purpose: To protect you and reduce your risks for
occupational exposure to disease
• Describes policies and practices that employers
must establish to protect employees who have
contact with blood/body fluids in their job
Who does it cover?
“You are covered under the standard if it
is reasonably anticipated that you could
be exposed to bloodborne pathogens as
a result of performing your job duties.”
OSHA
Bloodborne Pathogens
Anyone, regardless of
age, race, or
socioeconomic status,
can carry a bloodborne
disease.
Often, without
knowing it.
Bloodborne Pathogens
Bloodborne pathogens are diseases that are
carried in the blood and other body fluids
that can be transmitted by contact with
infected blood. The most common include:
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• HIV
Bloodborne Pathogens
Bloodborne pathogens are spread by
contact with blood and other body
substances such as:
• Semen and vaginal fluids
• Cerebrospinal fluid (spinal cord)
• Synovial (joint) and pleural fluid (lung)
• Peritoneal (stomach), pericardial
(heart) and amniotic fluid (uterus)
• Saliva (dental procedures)
Transmission
Bloodborne diseases are spread by:
• Direct contact with blood or body fluids
(e.g., needle stick, splash to face)
• Indirect contact with blood or body
fluids (e.g., touching dried blood or
body fluids on surfaces)
Hepatitis B
• A serious liver disease
• 1.25 million people chronically infected
• 30% of people infected don’t have
symptoms
• Most cases resolve, 10% can be chronic
• Healthcare workers (HCW) are at
increased risk
Hepatitis B
• Symptoms include loss
of appetite, fatigue,
jaundice, abdominal
pain and nausea
• Treatment available to
control virus
• Can be prevented by
vaccination
Hepatitis C
• A serious liver disease
• 4.1 million infected
• 3.2 million chronically infected
• Chronic infection: 55-85% of cases
• 80% of people do not have symptoms
• 70% of cases develop liver failure
Hepatitis C
• Increased risk for liver
cancer
• Many people do not have
symptoms for 20 years
after first infected
• Anti-virals available to
treat some forms
• No vaccine available
HIV
• Disease that causes the
immune system to lose its
ability to fight infection
• 900,000 infected
• Chronic infection
• Clinical symptoms vary;
initial infection may cause
flu-like illness
HIV
• Some people progress
to Acquired
Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)
• Anti-virals available to
treat illness
• No vaccine
Exposure Control Plan
• A document that describes how VDH
addresses components of the BPP
Standard. It includes:
– Who is covered under the standard
– Ways to reduce your risk of exposure
– Procedures to follow if there is an
occupational exposure
• Located on the VDH internal Web
Site: http://vdhweb/epi/icguide_index_06.asp
Engineering Controls
Systems or mechanical
devices that minimize
hazards in the workplace.
Examples:
• Self-sheathing or
retractable needles
• Sharps disposal
containers
Engineering Controls
Sharp safety rules:
• Use needles with safety
devices
• Never recap, break or bend
needles
• Never reuse disposable
sharps
• Dispose of all needles in a
regulated, color-coded,
labeled sharps container
• Sharps containers should be
changed when 2/3 full.
Work Practice Controls
Practices in the
workplace that protect
you from disease and
prevent transmission
to your residents and
coworkers. These
include:
• Hand Hygiene
• Personal Hygiene
Work Practice Controls
Hand Hygiene
• Hand Hygiene includes
both hand washing and
hand decontamination.
• Hand washing involves
the use of soap, water,
friction, and drying.
• Hand decontamination
involves removing
surface organisms by a
waterless hand sanitizer.
Work Practice Controls
Hand Hygiene
• Artificial nails should not be worn; natural nails
should be no longer than ¼ inch
• Hand hygiene is appropriate:
– Between patients
– Every time you remove your gloves
– When entering and leaving a treatment room
Whenever hands are in contact with blood
or other body fluids wash them immediately
Work Practice Controls
Personal Hygiene
Self-protective practices that protect you from
disease:
• Do not leave food and drinks in refrigerators,
freezers or on counter tops where blood or
potentially infectious materials can be present,
e.g., nurses station
• Do not use petroleum-based lubricants with latex
gloves
• Do not eat, drink, apply cosmetics or handle lip
balm in an area where you might be exposed to
blood or body fluids
Standard Precautions
• A set of precautions that are designed to protect
you from exposure to disease
• All patients, ALL body fluids, ALWAYS
• Includes:
– Hand washing
– Personal protective equipment (PPE)
– Work practice controls
– Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
– Needle safety
– Handling of linen and regulated medical waste
Personal Protective Equipment
Protective wear that serves
as a barrier between you
and the infection:
• Gloves
• Gowns
• Masks
•Goggles/Faceshields
• Resuscitation Devices
Protective Equipment
• Varies with task
• Maintained, replaced and disposed of by VDH
• Fit properly
• Supplied at no cost to employee
• Free of flaws
• VDH must offer training on use
• Must be cleaned carefully and as soon as
possible to prevent contamination
• Utility gloves can be reused if not damaged
Housekeeping
• Facility cleaning schedule
• Procedure for cleaning up
blood spills
• Use standard precautions
when handling all linen
(including sheets, clothes)
• Regulated medical waste
policy/procedure
Hepatitis B Vaccine
• Single most significant factor
in preventing hepatitis B
infection in HCW
• Must be offered to all
employees who have
exposure to blood or body
fluids on the job
• Safe, effective
• Series of three shots
• Long-term immunity
Occupational Exposure:
Immediate Response
If you should get stuck by a needle or if
you have direct skin or mucous
membrane contact with blood or other
body fluids, you will be provided with
counseling and follow-up care.
Exposures should be reported
immediately (within two hours) so that
appropriate care can be initiated.
Occupational Exposure:
Post-Exposure Counseling & Follow-up
• Don’t panic
• Wash the area with soap
and water
• Flush eyes or mucous
membranes with water
• Report the incident
immediately to your
supervisor and record
date and time of incident
Occupational Exposures
• You will be offered counseling by trained
medical staff to determine your risk of
acquiring a bloodborne disease
• If there is a risk, appropriate testing and
follow-up of the patient and employee will be
initiated
• Keep all follow-up appointments
Summary
• The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard applies
to anyone who has exposure to blood/body
fluids while performing job duties.
• VDH provides engineering and workplace
controls to help prevent occupational
exposure, including personal protective
equipment and safe needle devices.
• The hepatitis B vaccine must be offered to
anyone who has exposure to blood and body
fluids while performing their regular job
duties.
Summary
• Occupational exposures should be reported
immediately to your supervisor because
follow-up testing should be initiated as soon
as possible.
• You are responsible for following the policies
and procedures written by VDH and for using
the safety measures available to you to
reduce your risk of exposure to bloodborne
diseases.