If you are in a situation where you have potentially been exposed to bloodborne pathogens, it is important that you take the right steps to protect yourself. The first thing to do is try to prevent exposure by using proper personal protective equipment (PPE). If you cannot prevent exposure, then it is important that you decontaminate yourself and the area around you before disposing of any contaminated materials.
The first thing to do is to try to prevent contamination.
The first thing to do is to try to prevent contamination.
- Use PPE: Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection. If you need it, use it. It will help protect you from being exposed to bloodborne pathogens if there's an accident or spill on your clothes or skin.
- Use engineering controls: Engineering controls are devices that isolate workers from hazards so they don't come into contact with them at all--for example, using laminar flow hoods over workstations when performing certain tasks such as drawing blood samples or handling cultures in a lab setting where there may be a risk of exposure from airborne pathogens like tuberculosis bacteria floating around in the air near those who work with these materials regularly.
If there is blood or other potentially infectious materials on the surface, remove and dispose of it.
If there is blood or other potentially infectious materials on the surface, remove and dispose of it. Use a disinfectant to clean the area. Dispose of the disinfectant in a biohazard container.
If there are no hazardous materials on the surface, but you believe that there may be some on your hands or clothes, you should wash them thoroughly with soap and water before leaving the area where you were working. If blood does get onto your skin or clothes:
- Do not shower or bathe until after you have washed off all visible signs of blood with soap and water (at least 10 minutes).
- Do not eat, drink or smoke while handling potentially infectious materials; this can spread pathogens through food/drinks/smoke particles stuck to your skin/clothes!
If you cannot remove all of the material, then you must decontaminate the area.
If you cannot remove all of the material, then you must decontaminate the area.
Use a disinfectant that is appropriate for the material being cleaned and follow the manufacturer's instructions. When cleaning up after a bloodborne pathogen spill, be sure to wear protective gear such as gloves and eye protection (goggles). When you are done cleaning up any spills or splashes with a disinfectant solution, dispose of disposable items like towels used in cleanup activities immediately by placing them in an impermeable bag or container with a tight lid; wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water; cover any wounds or cuts that may have been exposed during cleanup activities with bandages until they can be properly treated by medical professionals at an emergency room facility;
Decontaminate any materials that may have come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
You should decontaminate any materials that may have come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
- Wash your hands with soap and water. If you are not able to wash your hands with soap and water, use an appropriate hand cleaner designed to kill germs on the skin (e.g., germicidal wipes).
- Use a disinfectant spray on hard surfaces (e.g., tables), floors, walls, etc., where there is visible blood or other body fluids present; apply enough product so that it completely covers any area(s) contaminated by these substances - do not rinse off after application!
- Bleach solutions can be used for cleaning up large amounts of liquid spills from floors; however, bleach solutions should never be used for cleaning up small droplets of liquid as they may cause burns when they come into contact with bare skin. In addition, bleach does not kill all pathogens nor does it eliminate odors associated with these substances - therefore if possible try not using this method unless absolutely necessary since it could potentially pose health risks if proper precautions aren't taken beforehand such as wearing protective gear like gloves while working around hazardous materials such as bleach itself!"
Once you have decontaminated the area, it is important that you dispose of your personal protective equipment (PPE).
It is important that you dispose of your personal protective equipment (PPE) in a biohazard bag. You should follow your employer's policies, procedures, and regulations regarding disposal of contaminated materials. If you are a healthcare worker, follow your employer's policies and procedures for reporting and disposing of contaminated materials. The health and safety of you and the people around you are your first concern at all times when working with bloodborne pathogens so make sure that if there is any doubt about whether or not something was contaminated then treat it as if it were! If there are chemicals involved contact the local hazardous materials emergency response team (HAZMAT).
Conclusion
If you work in a healthcare setting or have children in school, you may be aware of the need to dispose of materials contaminated with bloodborne pathogens. This can be a challenge because there are many different types of materials that need special treatment before they can be thrown out with regular trash.