NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed
NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed
IV-63: Blood Borne Pathogens
North Sanpete School District
Statement of .............
Board Policy with Guidelines
Policy Number: IV-63
Effective Date: 08/10/1993
Revised Date:
Subject: Blood Borne Pathogens
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has put forth new regulations (29 CFR.1910.1030) to eliminate and minimize occupational exposure to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and other blood borne pathogens.
In order to comply with OSHA regulations, North Sanpete School District has developed an exposure control plan designed to protect its employees from reasonably anticipated risk of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens.
I. DEFINITIONS
-
Blood Borne Pathogens: pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease.
- Contaminated: the presence or reasonably anticipated 'presence of potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.
- Sharps: any object that can pierce the skin including needles and broken glass.
- Engineering Controls: controls that isolate or remove blood borne pathogen hazards from the work place.
- Exposure Incident: specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious material.
- Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM): human body fluids such as saliva, semen, and certain internal fluids, any body fluid visibly contaminated with blood, and fluid where it is difficult or impossible to determine between body fluids, and any unfixed tissue or organ.
- Parenteral: piercing mucous membrane or the skin through such events as needle sticks, cuts, abrasions, or human bites.
- Occupational Exposure: reasonable anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious material that may result from the performance of an employee's duties.
- Universal Precautions: an approach to infection control that assumes all blood and certain body fluids are infectious.
II. EXPOSURE DETERMIINATION
A. COMPLIANCE METHODS
Universal precaution, hand washing, and other engineering and work practice controls will be in place to eliminate or minimize exposure of school employees to blood borne pathogens or other possibly infectious material.
Where occupational exposure remains after instituting these controls, personal protective equipment will be used. It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the compliance methods outlined in this section.
1. Universal Precautions
Universal Precautions, a method of infection control in which all human blood and other potentially infectious materials are treated as if known to be infectious, will be observed by all employees.
All staff will receive annual training in universal precautions using the video Universal Precautions for School Staff issued by the Utah State Office of Education. Training will take place at individual school and job sites.
It is the responsibility of the building administrator or job supervisor to ensure that all employees receive training in universal precautions and that employees at greater risk of exposure receive additional training as needed. All training sessions will be documented.
2. Hand Washing
Readily accessible hand washing facilities with soap, water, and paper towels are to be located In each school building and in all rest rooms and designated health service areas.
B. ENGINEERING AND WORK PRACTICE CONTROLS
1. Containers for Sharps
All contaminated sharps (including needles, lancets, small sharps of -glass, etc.) are to be discarded immediately or as soon as feasible in the sharps containers provided by the district.
Containers will be puncture resistant, leak proof, color coded red, labeled biohazard, and sealed prior to disposal.
Containers are to be placed in first aid areas, biology and chemistry classrooms, and any area designated for health services.
2. Contaminated Supplies
Minimally contaminated items used for minor first aid care will be handled with universal precautions as if they were infectious waste. They will be placed in plastic lined containers. Liners will be closed and disposed of with daily trash in a heavy duty bag of sufficient strength to avoid bursting or tearing during handling, storage, and disposal.
3. Work Area Restrictions
In any room designated as a health service area or where there is a reasonable possibility of exposure to blood or other infectious material, employees will not eat, drink, or attend to personal hygiene or grooming.
All health care procedures will be performed in a designated health care area in a way that minimizes exposure to blood or other possibly infectious material.
4. Personal Protective Equipment
The school district purchasing agent will purchase personal protective equipment and provide schools with such equipment at no cost to employees. All personal protective equipment will be replaced by the district as needed.
Protective equipment appropriate for school use includes disposable latex gloves (single use gloves) and utility gloves used for housekeeping services that may be disinfected.
Gloves will be worn whenever there is reasonable expectation of exposure to blood or other possibly infectious material. Disposable gloves will be used except for utility purposes and will not be reused under any circumstances.
Utility gloves should be disinfected after use and should be in good repair.
Each building administrator is responsible for monitoring to ensure that equipment is readily available, that it's used appropriately and that supply is adequate.
5. Housekeeping
All schools in the North Sanpete School District will be cleaned with an EPA approved disinfectant cleaning product
All bathrooms and health service areas will be cleaned daily with an approved disinfectant.
All contaminated areas will be cleaned immediately or as soon as possible following an incident involving blood or other possibly infectious material.
The following materials may be used to disinfect a contaminated area:
a. Disinfectant used in the building will be clearly labeled.
b. EPA approved tuberculocidal, viricidal disinfectant
i. Broken glassware which may be contaminated should be picked up with dustpans and hand brooms to avoid personal contact.
ii. Trash can liners should be used in all housekeeping waste and trash receptacles. Trash can liners should not be reused and should be replaced daily.
C. WASTE DISPOSAL
1. Sharps
Contaminated sharps will be discarded immediately in an approved sharps container.
Containers are to remain upright and are to be replaced when 3/4 full.
When full, containers are to be tightly capped and sealed prior to disposal. Sharps should be double bagged in a heavy duty plastic bag and labeled BIOHAZARD in red:
Containers- will be taken to the Sanpete County Health Clinic for disposal.
2. Other Waste
Items contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious body fluid will be chemically disinfected. If disposal is necessary, the item will be bagged prior to disposal.
Soiled personal items will be handled with universal precautions, individually bagged, and sent home with the student or employee.
Soiled school laundry will be washed in hot water with detergent and disinfectant solution and dried in a dryer on hot setting.
D. HEPATITIS B VACCINATION
North Sanpete School District employees who may incur occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens due to the nature of their duties as well as any staff member who believes himself to be at increased risk of exposure will have the opportunity to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine at no cost to -themselves.
Employees may decline the vaccine and must sign a waiver documenting their refusal. Any employee considered to be likely to incur occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens or other infectious material .may change his/her mind at a later date and request the vaccination series at no cost to themselves.
In the case of accidental exposure to blood or other possibly infectious materials where universal precautions are not followed, the employee involved will again be offered the opportunity to receive a post exposure series of Hepatitis B vaccine.
The employee may decline the vaccine but must sign a waiver declining the vaccination.
E. EXPOSURE INCIDENT REPORT
In the case of accidental exposure to blood or other possibly infectious material where universal precautions are not followed, the employee must complete an incident report and be offered the chance to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine at district expense.
F. POST EXPOSURE INCIDENT REPORTING
1. First Aid incident Reporting
All first aid incidents involving blood or OPM will be reported to the building administrator before the end of the school day.
The report will include:
- The name of all first aid providers involved
- The time and date of incident
- A description of the incident
- A description of injury
- A determination of whether an exposure incident occurred
If an exposure incident has occurred (specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin parenteral contact with blood or other OPIM), Hepatitis B vaccination series will be offered to all unvaccinated first aid providers. The employee has the right to refuse.
All exposure incidents are reported to the school administrator. Exposure incident reports should include:
- Written description of the circumstances under which exposure occurred and the nature of the exposure
- A written description of the employee's duties as they relate to the exposure incident
NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT
EXPOSURE DETERMINATION
SCHOOL: ____________________________________________________________
DATE:_________________________________
List below all employees who may be expected to be at risk of exposure to blood or other possibly infectious material through the normal - performance of their duties.
Include in the job description those tasks or procedures which cause the employee to be included in this determination.
Employee Job Description