Blood borne pathogens are harmful microorganisms that can cause deadly diseases like AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and hepatitis. If you are a health care worker, first aider, housekeeping employee, nurse or an individual who reasonably expects exposure to these pathogens, you must first learn their modes of transmission and how to prevent yourself from being infected. Blood borne pathogens may be transmitted when contaminated blood or potentially infectious body fluid enters your body through needle sticks and other sharp instrument related injuries. Preventing these injuries can help you protect yourself from harmful microorganisms.

Tips On Preventing Needle Sticks And Sharps Injuries

Needle stick and sharps injuries are serious health hazards as they transmit infectious diseases, especially blood borne pathogens. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 380,000 health care workers per year are infected with needles and sharps related injury. It is therefore important to follow certain safety tips to prevent these injuries.

– Preventing or reducing needle stick and sharps injuries require you to have a complete understanding of the extent of the problem. Taking blood borne pathogens training can help you gain awareness about these injuries and motivate you to make necessary changes to prevent or minimize needle stick injuries.

– Certain work conditions may increase the number of accidental punctures and needle stick injuries. Working at night without sufficient lighting is one of the reasons that may contribute to needle stick injuries. You can prevent this by following proper work practices.

– Recapping is another important cause of needle stick injury. It is very dangerous to hold a needle in one hand and try to cover it with a cap on the other hand. If the needle misses the cap, it may pierce your hand accidentally. If you attempt to cover the needle with a small cap, it may slip and the needle may stab your hand. The best way to prevent these issues is to avoid recapping needles before disposing them. Appropriate training and practicing certain procedures can help prevent the risk of injuries and infection.

– Needle stick and sharps injuries commonly occur during disposal. If you dispose them in an improper manner in regular garbage, they may cause injuries. Nurses and lab staff are susceptible to needle stick injury, when they carry the needle to the disposal container or try to push it into an overfilled container.

– It is important to consider needles and other sharps instruments as potentially infectious and handle them with extreme care to prevent injuries.

– You should place disposable needles and other sharps in puncture resistant containers. Overfilling the container should also be avoided to prevent accidental needle stick injuries.

– You should not bend, break or shear needles. You must also avoid recapping needles using your hand.

Preventing needle stick injury is the most effective way to protect you from blood borne pathogens. Training programs address the risk of injury, potential health hazards and precautionary measures to be taken while using and disposing needles. Discuss the above in staff meetings, printing out this article for handy reference.

For more information, please visit our bloodborne pathogens website.

For more information, please visit our bloodborne pathogens website http://www.bbpexams.com/

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our bloodborne pathogens website.

Category: Advice
Keywords: Housekeeping,training,engineering controls ,Blood Borne Pathogens ,housekeeping employee,hepatitis,m