Work safe and OHS needlestick, safe disposal of sharps and blood and body fluid exposure control and prevention and accidental exposure interventions

Question 1

how to dispose of needle

Answer 1

use gloves. place sharps container next to needle. ideally use tongs to pick up. put it in with sharp end facing away

Question 2

when do you replace a sharps container

Answer 2

when its 3/4 full

Question 3

what can workers do to protect themselves from blood and body fluids or other infectious diseases

Answer 3

What can workers do to protect themselves?
Workers have responsibilities to help reduce their risk of exposure to
infectious pathogens, including the following:
• Attend education and training sessions.
• Follow safe work procedures, including hand washing and wearing
PPE, if applicable.
• Seek immediate first aid and medical attention after an occupational
exposure.
• Report exposure incidents to supervisors or managers.
• Refuse work that they have reason to believe is unsafe

Question 4

how are the most common blood borne diseases spread

HIV, hep b and c

Answer 4

HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses can be spread by direct contact
with infected blood and certain other infected body fluids. To cause
infection, the blood or body fluids containing the virus must gain –entry
into the bloodstream–

Question 5

highest risk for bloodborne disease exposure comes from

Answer 5

The highest-risk exposures are from sharps injuries
(puncture wounds from needles or cuts from scalpels) or splashes to a
worker’s mucous membranes (especially the eyes and mouth). Splashes
of blood on intact skin are considered extremely low risk for infection
because intact skin is an effective barrier that prevents the virus from
gaining entry.

Question 6

how to prevent exposure to blood borne diseases

Answer 6

treat all blood as infectious

most are v common sense eg use regular precautions, wash hands, PPE

Question 7

how dyou clean up a blood spill

Answer 7

Develop general cleaning and blood-spill cleanup procedures that include
disinfection of surfaces contaminated by blood. For small drops of blood,
use a solution of 1 part household bleach to 50 parts water, mixed fresh
daily. For large spills of blood, use 1 part household bleach to 10 parts
water, mixed fresh daily

Question 8

how soon after needle stick should you see dr

Answer 8

Someone who suffers a needle-stick injury should be assessed by
a physician within two hours of the injury. Provide workers with
psychological support after exposures.

Question 9

fi you see blood on sheets when changing bed what do you do

Answer 9

Identify laundry that is soiled with blood, and follow routine practices
when handling it, including wearing gloves and gowns

Question 10

how to handle and dispose of sharps

Answer 10

Handling and disposing of sharps
Follow these guidelines when dealing with sharps:
• Don’t pick up sharps with the intention of disposing of them later.
For example, don’t put a used needle in your pocket unless you have a
proper one-needle container to put it in.
• Don’t try to recap needles.
• Don’t try to remove contaminated needles from disposable syringes.
Discard them as a single unit.
• Don’t dispose of sharps in regular garbage — this may create a hazard
for others.
• Don’t fill sharps containers to the top. When a sharps container is
about three-quarters full, replace it with a new one and properly
dispose of the old one. Contact your municipality for disposal
information.

Question 11

guidelines for Disposing of garbage and other potentially

infected materials

Answer 11

Disposing of garbage and other potentially
infected materials
Follow these guidelines for handling and disposing of medical waste:
• Handle garbage as little as possible.
• Use waterproof garbage bags or other appropriate containers.
• Never reach into garbage or disposal containers with your bare hands.
• Watch for sharps sticking out of bags or containers, and listen for
broken glass.
• Don’t compress garbage bags.
• Don’t overfill garbage bags. Leave enough free space at the top so the
bag is light and easy to grab.
• Don’t use bare hands to pick up bags or to support them from
underneath.
• Hold bags by their tops, away from your body. Don’t hold them against
your body

Question 12

how to handle soiled or contaminated laundry

Answer 12

Handling soiled or contaminated laundry
Follow these guidelines for handling soiled or contaminated laundry:
• Handle laundry carefully — there may be hidden sharps.
• Isolate contaminated laundry from other linen, and bag it separately.
• Place wet laundry in leak-proof bags or containers.
• Label or colour code contaminated laundry bags or containers.
• Don’t rinse contaminated laundry at the original location. Send it
directly to the laundry room or commercial laundry.
• Wash contaminated laundry and laundry bags in hot water
(minimum 70°C) with detergent for 25 minutes. If using lower water
temperatures, use an appropriate concentration of cold water and lowtemperature detergents, which may include bleach.
• Identify to cleaners in writing any items that pose a hazard to workers
handling contaminated laundry, as well as the precautions to follow
when handling the laundry

Question 13

what to do if worker is exposed to or develops an infectious disease

Answer 13

1. get first aid
2. report incident immediately
3. seek medical attention immediately
4. complete worksafe bc claims form
5. exposure incident investigations
   VIHA was also suggesting reporting it to the unit manager or something like that and, if its mucosal then you should wash immediately

Question 14

when must post expoure mgmt be undertaken (to blood or body fluid)

Answer 14

Exposure is through a needlestick/scratch, mucosal contact or contact with
compromised (damaged) skin;
• Exposure is to blood or high-risk body fluids from a source that is either known to be
infectious or might be potentially infectious (high-risk source or in settings where
individuals engage in high-risk activities); and
• The exposed person is known or considered to be at risk for HBV, HCV or HIV.

Question 15

should you squeeze a needlestick or leave it

Answer 15

Needlestick/wound:
• Allow the wound to bleed freely.
• Do not promote bleeding by squeezing the wound. This may damage the tissues
and increase uptake of any pathogen(s).

Question 16

if you are exposed through mucous membranes or eye what should you use to flush it

Answer 16

Mucous membrane or eye:

• Rinse well with water or normal saline

Question 17

this is probably not important:what are the tests that may be undergone (labs if exposed)

Answer 17

5.2.5 Laboratory testing
• Blood should be collected from both the exposed and source persons as soon as
possible.
• At the time of the exposure, the exposed person should be tested for
o HBsAg,
o Anti-HBs,
o Anti-HBc,
o Anti-HCV,
o HIV Ag/Ab (detects both anti-HIV and P24 antigen). All laboratory based HIV
screening tests in BC detect both antibody and antigen.
• If test results are negative, post-exposure follow-up testing should be at:
o 3 weeks;
o 6 weeks (HIV only); and
o 3 months
• If HIV PEP was dispensed, complete post-exposure follow-up testing in:
o 3 weeks post PEP course completion;
o 6 weeks post PEP course completion; and
o 3 months post PEP course completion.
• If the source is confirmed HIV-negative and not in a window period, only HIV testing of
the exposed person at baseline is required. Refer to Appendix 1 .
• If a woman of childbearing age is exposed, consider pregnancy testing when
appropriate.

Question 18

what kind of Tx might you get if youre exposed to blood/bodyfluid

Answer 18

maybe prophylactic therapy depending on pathogen

.tests

Question 19

how to clean up a spill

Answer 19

ow to clean up spills that may contain infectious material
Follow these steps:
1. Restrict access to the area.
2. Gather the necessary tools and materials (for example, plastic bags for
contaminated items and bleach or germicide for the spill).
3. Put on disposable, waterproof gloves. Other necessary PPE may
include a face shield, a gown, and waterproof covers for footwear.
4. Wipe up and dispose of visible material first (for example, using
disposable towels). If necessary, change your gloves before the next step.
5. Decontaminate the area using a fresh solution of household bleach and
water. Carefully pour the solution over the spill site, leave it on for
10 minutes, wipe it up with disposable towels, and dispose of the towels.
6. Clean and decontaminate all soiled and reusable equipment.
7. Wear the gloves to remove other PPE. Dispose of or clean PPE
according to the manufacturer’s directions.
8. Remove and dispose of your gloves, and wash your hands