Occupational Health & Safety and Water Lines Flashcards
Regulatory and advisory agencies
Regulatory and advisory agencies play an important role in establishing rules for health and safety in dentistry.
advisory agencies provides professionals with recommendation rather than rules.
Centers for disease control and prevention
CDC the centers for disease control and prevention : is premier agency for protecting people’s health and safety.
These guideline cover a wide variety of topics including oral diseases, fluoride application, infection control
Government Agencies
FDA: food and drug make regulation for production and labeling of medical devices.
EPA: environmental protection keeping world clean and safe place and work as removal and disposal of medical waste within dental clinic.
OSHA: occupational safety and health administration protect workers on job.
NIOSH: national institute of occupational safety and health. research and making recommendations to prevent possible diseases or injuries on job.
Associations and organizations
-American dental association ADA : largest organizations for dentists, regularly send out updated recommendations for controlling infection and keeps professionals current on a variety of issue in dental field.
- American dental Assistants Association: ADAA designed to support and educate all types of dental staff.
- American dental hygienists association ADHA: focuses specifically on field of dental hygienists. it provides support and education.
- Organization for safety and Asesis procedures OSAP: not for profit organization for all professional in the dental field. It used a monthly newsletter to inform controlling infections and preventing injuries.
Chemical and waste managment
chemicals are used in most clinic to keep everything it free of germs. chemicals are helpful for keeping instruments and surfaces clean.
Hazardous chemicals
Hazardous chemicals : Any chemical that is defined by OSHA as physical or health hazard.
Hazardous chemicals can catch fair, can mixed with other, toxic and corrosive.
Hazardous chemical in dentistry include mercury, powdered natural rubber latex, nitrous oxide
- Mercury is more hazardous.
- corrosives can burn and destroy body tissues on contact.
- chemicals can be inhaled gad, vapors, dusts or absorbed through the skin or swallowing
Type of chemical toxicity
acute or chronic chemical exposure: exposure too large amount of chemical in a short period of time.
what injuries or illnesses can be caused by exposure toxic chemicals?
- organ damage, respiratory, cancer, burns.
what are signs and symptoms of acute toxicity? -Dizzying, fainting, headache
what are effects of chronic toxicity? liver disease, brain disorders and cancer
Chemical spills
Mercury spill kits should be available in all dental office in which amalgam is used. mercury can be absorbed of Mercury through the skin or through the inhalation of mercury vapors.
Eye wash stations
OSHA requires every workplace that use chemical to have an eyewash station.
Eye wash stations help employees flush away hazardous substance.
Hazard communication standard
OSHA wrote employee right to know law.
Five elements of hazard communication programs are
- written program
- chemical inventory
-ASDS
- staff training
- container labeling
Hazard communication program
- keeps good records of program
- reads and understands the OSHA hazard
-implement the written HCP - creates chemical inventory
- informs other employees of location of MSDS
- labels containers and provides training to other employees.
Hazard communication program must include the folowing list
- Identification of the individual who is responsible for program
- descriptions of any staff training
- descriptions of how chemicals should be handled in office setting
- descriptions all relevant safety measure taken in labeling
- Detailed descriptions on recommend ways to handle chemical emergencies
materials safty data sheet MSDS documents contain the information listed
- physical and chemical properties of prodcts
- potential risk of health hazards when using product
- possible methods of exposure to product
- best ways to handle the product safety
- primary emergency and first aid procedures to follow in event of exposure to product
- the most effective ways to control any spills of products
HCP components : training
All the up to data and accessible information in the world will not be helpful if the staff does not know how to use it.
Employee training is required in the instances listed here
- New employee is hired
- new chemical product is added to office
- the annual review is provided for continuing employees
HCP components : labels
manufacturer’s labels are a vital part of handling chemicals safely. Without a label, it is impossible to look at a container and definitively recognize what’s in it or what hazards the contents might pose. You must read the label. the label identifies what chemicals is, who produced it name an address and any warning about its use.
labels contain clear information on items listed
- any health hazards-from caution to danger
- flammability
- instability
- Any special hazards such as water reactive
personal chemical protection
need protection from potential acute or chronic chemical exposure
- Hand protection: gloves made from materials that cannot be damaged by chemicals. Gloved designed as protection agist an splash or spill.
- Eye protection: Goggles protect eyes from everything from fumes and splashes to chemicals solution.
- Protective clothing: it’s essay to spill or drip chemicals so coat help from harmful substances.
- Inhalation protection: wearing a mask that will protect against inhaling particels and liquid splatter. face masks should be fluid repellent nd provide respiratory protection
Ventilation
Good Ventilation is element dealing with hazardous chemicals
Chemical storage and Disposal
-Read Directions: manufacturer’s instruction for storage can be found on MSDS and should be followed.
-Avoid light exposure: A basic safe policy is it to store dental medications and chemcials in a dry , cool, dark place where they are not exposed to direct sunlight.
-Check expiration dates: when changes in chemical composition of materials occur, the product might no longer retain its effectiveness. if the product has expired, dispose of chemical according to MSDS.
- Rotate products: Always put the oldest product in front so it is used first.
EPA regulated Hazardous wastes
The following types of hazardous waste are listed by the EPA
- Ignitable waste: is flammable
- corrosive waste: highly acidic or basis with ph less 2.0 and greater than 12.5
- Reactive waste: chemically unstable reats violently with water or gives off toxic fumes when mixed with water.
- Toxic wates: contains arsenic, mercury, lead, sliver and pesticides.
Dental office wastes
-photo processing wastes: x ray fixer, shields, cleaner
- Chemical disinfectants: used for instruments as an example and must be disposed of properly.
- Line cleaner waste: cleaners used flush water lines.
- Universal wastes: batteries, lamps and mercury thermometers.
- Amalgam wastes: scrap, extracted teeth and sludge.
water lines the dental facility
dental water lines or DUWLs: tubes that carry water at high velocity to dental equipement such as air water syrings.
colony forming units CFUs a measure of viable or bacterial numbers.
preventions is relatively easy:
-use anti-retraction valves ( device that prevent water and organism from backflowing into the water lines.
- flush dental lines between patients
-monitor dental water quality with test kits.
communities of bacteria
Two types bacteria found in DUWLs
- Plamktonic bacteria comes from public system
- Biofilm: layer of bacterial cell and microbes including fungi and algae.
Biofilm
- loves moisture and solid surface
- result of sticky things like glue
- consists of multiple antibiotics
- responsible for a variety if diseases like ear infections and bacterial endocarditis which means infection of the inner surface of the heat and it valves.
Methods of reducing contamination
- self contained reservoirs
- chemical treatment
- microfiltration
- daily draining and dying of lines.
Chemical Agent
Second way to limit amount of biofilm in DUWLs is use chemicals.
-periodic treatment with biocidal level of chemicals ( strong enough to kill microorganisms)
- application of chemicals to the system at level that sestory micro but not harm people.
Flush water lines
- one of the most routine methods of reducing bacterial.
- flush every several minutes and every morning and also between patients.
- routine flushing won’t eliminate all biofilms in lines but help decrease the water’s microbial.
Other methods to minimize microorganism
- one way to reduce contamination in the dental office is by minimizing the use of aerosols.
- High volume evacuator when using handpiece, ultrasonic scaler and air water syringe.
- high volume might also reduce exposures of the patient waterborne microorganism.
- slaiva ejectors recommendation from CDC help prevent backflow that occure when the pressure in he patient’s mouth become less.
Self-contained systems
works by sending air pressure to the reservoir. that action push water out of the bottle and through tubing and water lines. Finally water exits through the hand-piece and air water syringe.
Microfilteration cartridges
Another way to significantly lower the amount of bacteria and improve water quality is by using disposable, inline microfiltation cartridges.
cartridges must be placed as close to the handpiece or the air water syringe as possible and be replaced at least once per day.
