Blood Borne Pathogens

Some serious illnesses, such as the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can remain undetected by the infected person for months—not showing any symptoms.  Therefore, it is important to protect yourself from exposure to possible sources of transmission—especially in the workplace!

While working, it is possible to come into contact with blood and other infectious bodily fluids such as:

·         Mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth)

·         Non-intact skin (this can be due to cuts, burns rashes, etc.)

As a safeguard, it is important to protect yourself from infected blood and bodily fluids by practicing “universal precautions”—simply put, it means that you follow the same procedure each time you encounter these elements.

Therefore, if you administer first aid to an injured person in the workplace and there is a chance that you may be exposed to bodily fluids, make sure that you:

·         Wear impervious gloves

·         Wear a face shield to protect your entire face

·         Wear safety goggles to ensure complete eye protection

·         Use resuscitation devices when performing CPR

·         Immediately report all exposures or potential exposures to bodily fluids to your immediate supervisor

·         Immediately wash your hands and affected areas with soap and warm water

·         Flush your eyes, nose, or other mucous membrane areas with warm water, if they are exposed.

·         Wipe down areas that have been exposed to bodily fluids with a mild solution of water and bleach (10:1)

Although, it may seem as though you do not need to follow these procedures, the bottom line, is you really have no way of knowing if your coworker has an infectious disease or a serious illness. Protect yourself! Your coworker would rather that you put on gloves then to learn through you being exposed; that they gave you a life-threatening disease!

There are a number of myths associated with HBV and HIV.  Some important things for you to remember are:

·         HBV is able to survive for at least one week in dried blood

·         HIV will not survive for more than a few minutes when exposed to room temperature air. It will usually die within seconds of being outside the body

·         A teaspoon of blood may contain over one billion HBV particles

·         A teaspoon of blood contains around 15 HIV particles

·         HBV has mild symptoms, making initial diagnosis difficult

·         HIV is usually not diagnosed for years and symptoms may not appear for many months or even years after exposure

·         HBV can be prevented through vaccination; HIV cannot

·         There is no cure for HBV or HIV