Blood Borne Pathogen training Video

The school setting is a very exciting and rewarding place to work as a professional in a school system, you play an important part in helping young people to learn mental skills and develop physical aptitudes they'll need later in life. But mishaps can happen and injuries can occur that place others at risk of contracting a disease caused by a blood borne pathogen. When an injury does occur, medical treatment and first aid are usually performed by personnel with special training and handling emergencies involving blood. Most school employees have little chance of being exposed to bloodborne pathogens because they're not expected to provide emergency treatment or to be exposed to blood. It's important, however, for everyone who works at a school to be aware of the risk of blood borne disease in the ways of minimizing the chance of exposure. So first, let's look at the diseases caused by bloodborne pathogens and how they are transmitted. Pathogens are organisms that cause disease if they are carried in blood, they're called bloodborne pathogens. Pathogens may also be present in semen and vaginal secretions, torn or loose skin in certain body fluids. Bloodborne pathogens are not normally found in feces urine or vomit. In the workplace, the biggest threat of bloodborne disease comes from the hepatitis B virus also known as HBV. This virus can cause liver damage, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Initially, an infected person will develop flu like symptoms that can increase in severity to our hospitalization is required. HPV is most often transmitted through breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. This usually occurs through needle sticks or when blood or other infectious material enters existing cuts or abrasions. Hepatitis B is the most common blood borne hazard you will face at work. There are about 300,000 new cases of HPV reported in the United States each year. There is no cure for hepatitis B, but luckily there is a vaccine that can help protect you. Another bloodborne pathogen is a human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. This virus attacks the body's immune system, causing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or aids. This deadly disease also initially causes flu like symptoms. HIV is transmitted primarily through sexual contact, but it can also come from contact with infected blood or certain other body fluids. Currently there is no cure for this disease, and unfortunately there is no vaccine. Now that we know about bloodborne diseases, let's turn our attention to learning how we can minimize the chance of being exposed to them. To help protect you from bloodborne pathogens, your employer has established an exposure control program based on regulations of the federal occupational safety and health administration, osha, as part of the program, a written plan was developed for your school that outlines the steps you and your employer must take to minimize the risk of exposure. A copy of the plan is available for review at a designated location on your campus. Your school's plan identifies job categories in which people may have an exposure. Even if your job is not listed, you should know how to recognize potentially dangerous situations, such as rendering medical treatment or first aid, performing lifesaving or public safety activities and performing cleanup or decontamination procedures involving blood. Luckily there are several methods that can help protect people who may be exposed. The underlying theme of all these methods is a practice of universal precautions. This means that we treat all blood or other potentially infectious material as if it were infective. Universal precautions include engineering controls, work practice controls, and personal protective equipment. Engineering controls such as hand washing sinks and used sharps containers have been strategically located at your tools to help prevent exposure, as with all tools, you must use these devices and use them properly in order to be safe. Work practice controls depend on you performing all tasks in an appropriate manner and according to established procedures, the most important work practice is to thoroughly wash your hands whenever you come into contact with blood. Even if you are wearing protective gloves, never assume gloves are a substitute for hand washing. Good hygiene also dictates that you never eat drink smoke, apply cosmetics or lip balms or handle contact lenses in areas with exposure potential, avoid splashing, spraying or splattering blood when helping an injured student or coworker, and avoid direct mouth to mouth resuscitation. Other work practices you need to follow are. Wearing gloves whenever there was a potential for exposure. Using appropriate containers when discarding sharps. And following proper procedures when cleaning up spills and decontaminating equipment and surfaces. Personal protective equipment or PPE provides a barrier between you and a disease agent. There are many types of protective equipment, such as gloves, gowns, hyper protection, masks, and resuscitation devices. With the possible exception of a handy resuscitation device for CPR, the only protective equipment routinely needed in the school setting is gloves. Gloves are your basic line of defense against bloodborne pathogens and should always be worn when you anticipate an exposure. The other items are generally only used by those who need additional protection when performing medical procedures. If you perform tasks that put you at risk, proper protective equipment will be made available to you. Let's see how we put these measures into action. The student falls and is bleeding from a cut or bloody nose. You rush to help, ideally you're prepared and have gloves readily available. If not, you must remember to wash your hands as soon as possible after the exposure. You apply pressure to control the bleeding and to minimize any splashing or splattering of blood while you take the injured person to the nursing office or first aid station for treatment. You then initiate or arrange for cleaning and decontamination of the affected area. Outside playing surfaces should be washed down with plain water. Interior surfaces and equipment should be cleaned and decontaminated according to established procedures. Now, remove your gloves and thoroughly wash your hands. Bleeding people aren't the only potential exposure you might face. Items soaked or cake with blood are considered biohazardous can require special handling to protect yourself from accidental exposure to biohazardous materials in ways. It's imperative that you learn to recognize how they are identified. Be aware of all signs and labels that are fluorescent orange or orange red and that carry the biohazardous symbol in the word biohazard on them. Containers for biohazardous waste and contaminated sharps are usually colored red. If an accident occurs, the directly exposes you to blood, remember to immediately wash with soap and water. Then, report the incident to your supervisor as soon as possible. Once you make the report, an investigation will be launched to gather information on the incident. You and possibly others at the scene will be asked to provide information. This information will be documented on a written form. Then with your consent, you'll be provided as needed with a confidential medical evaluation, blood test, post-exposure preventative treatment and follow-up counseling. The aftermath of a potential exposure can be extremely unsettling, but remember, you have the power to greatly reduce your chance of exposure by following proper work practices. Let's review some of the important points we've learned for protecting ourselves against bloodborne pathogens. You should always do the following. Wash your hands immediately after exposure, wear gloves whenever there was a potential for exposure. You use proper containers when discarding sharps. Follow proper procedures whenever contact with blood is possible. Some important doubts include never assume gloves are a substitute for hand washing. Don't store or consume food or drink in areas with exposure. Avoid direct mouth to mouth resuscitation. Although your chance of being directly exposed to bloodborne pathogens is small, you should be aware of the risks and know how to protect yourself. Take time to become acquainted with informative training materials that accompany this video by following proper work practices and heating biohazardous warning labels, you can feel confident that you are doing your part to protect yourself from bloodborne path