Quality Integrated Services | Safety

Bloodborne Pathogens

If you are working in an area that exposes you to bodily fluids, you need to know how to safely handle these fluids. Pathogens may be present in some of these fluids that could lead to serious disease.

The bloodborne diseases that occur most frequently are:

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which causes hepatitis, a potentially fatal liver disease
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the cause of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

The purpose of this safety page is to inform you as to how to know when you are at risk, create a plan for exposure control, and know what type of protective equipment you can use.

Part of knowing when you are at risk is knowing how deadly diseases are spread. HIV and HBV are usually transmitted, or passed on, when disease organisms enter the body though mucous membranes or through breaks in the skin. Outside of work, HIV and HBV are most commonly transmitted from:

Sexual Contact
An infected mother to her unborn child
Intravenous drug users sharing used, dirty needles

At work, the most common way exposure to HIV and HBV can occur is when a worker has an open sore or injury and is in contact with infectious material, or when a worker is not wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against contact with infectious material such as blood, human tissue or other body fluids that contain blood.

A plan should be devised that will control exposure. An important part of controlling exposure is understanding that Individuals who are infected with hepatitis B virus or HIV may not show symptoms and may not know if they’re infectious. For that reason, all human blood and body fluids should be considered infectious, and all precautions should be taken to avoid contact. This practice is known as universal precautions.

Look for signs or postings that indicate when body fluids may be present. These signs may have the words "infectious waste" or "biohazard."

Proper use of protective equipment will help to limit the contraction of disease. Among those items are :

Eye and Face Protection – Masks and eye protection can safeguard workers against splashes or splatters of biohazardous fluids
Protective Clothing – Fluid-resistant aprons, lab coats and gowns protect against splashes, sprays, splatters or droplets of potentially infectious materials
Gloves – You must wear gloves when there is a chance of exposure to blood or body fluids. Disposable gloves must not be reused and should be replaced…

Some quotes taken from 'Bloodborne Pathogens' by the National Safety Council.

All information for this safety page provided by the National Safety Council form the Bloodbourne Pathogens booklet copyright 1992.