Dealing with Blood and Body Substances

What Is It? To minimise the risk of the spread of infection, all blood and body substances (e.g., vomit or urine) should be treated as potentially infectious. Spillages of blood and other body fluids may transmit viruses. It is essential to decontaminate spillages immediately using safe methods. Strategies for decontamination will...

Disposal of Clinical Waste

What Is It? Clinical waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms that can infect residents, employees, and the general public.  The facility can prevent infection and transmission of antimicrobial organisms by providing a clean, waste-free environment.  To protect people from harm when handling waste or hazardous substances, specific procedures should be followed....

Safe Injection & Multi-dose Vials

What Is It? Safe injection includes practices intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases between one patient and another or between a patient and healthcare provider, and also to prevent harm such as needlestick injuries. All employees need to follow basic safe injection procedures.   Safe techniques involve handling, preparing, and storing...

Handling Laboratory Specimens

What Is It? A specimen is any bodily substance taken from a person for analysis, e.g., blood, urine, stool, tissue, and fluid. Specimens can therefore pose a health risk to all employees having contact with them. For this reason, it's essential to apply standard precautions when handling laboratory specimens.   ...

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to various barriers used alone or in combination to protect mucous membranes, airways, skin, and clothing from contact with infectious agents. The type of personal protective barrier selected by healthcare workers in the residential aged care facility depends on the risk assessment. Consider the risk...

Safe Handling of Sharps

What Is It? The classification of sharps includes needles, scalpels, razor blades, stitch cutters, broken glass, auto lancets, IV cannula stilettes, and IV giving set spikes. Sharps injuries can occur in any healthcare setting, including home healthcare and long-term care facilities. Injuries most often occur During the use of a sharp...