Minimising the risk of exposure to blood products and blood-borne viruses

The following information is reproduced from the draft guidance published by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, Protection against blood-borne infections in the workplace: HIV and Hepatitis. ¹

• Do avoid contact with blood or bodily fluids.
• Do take all necessary precautions to prevent puncture wounds, cuts and abrasions in the presence of blood and body fluids.
• Do avoid use of, or exposure to, sharps (needles, glass, metal etc.) when possible and discard sharps directly into the sharps container immediately after use, and at the point of use.
• Do take particular care in handling and disposal if use of sharps is unavoidable – one-use-only contaminated sharps must be discarded into an approved sharps container. Used containers must be disposed of through a waste management company who will dispose of them safely as 'waste for incineration only’.
• Do protect all breaks in exposed skin by means of waterproof dressings and/or gloves.
• Do protect the eyes and mouth by means of a visor or goggles/ safety spectacles and a mask when splashing is a possibility.
• Do avoid contamination of the person or clothing by use of waterproof/water-resistant protective clothing, plastic apron etc.
• Do wear rubber boots or plastic disposable overshoes when the floor or ground is likely to be contaminated.
• Do apply good, basic hygiene practices including hand-washing before and after glove use, and avoid hand-to-mouth/eye contact.
• Do control surface contamination by blood and body fluids by containment and appropriate decontamination procedures.
• Do dispose of all contaminated waste safely and refer to relevant guidance if you are uncertain how to classify and dispose of your waste.

First of all, physically wash away the contaminant:

• Blood in a cut or puncture: encourage the wound to bleed outwards by squeezing or pressing. Then wash it thoroughly with soap and water.
• Blood on the skin where there is no cut: wash with soap and water.
• Blood in the eyes: rinse while open with tap water and saline.
• Blood in the mouth: spit out, rinse with water and spit out again.

Then seek medical advice. An urgent risk assessment is required to establish if the exposure has the potential to transmit HIV.

The information above is largely based on the draft guidance published by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, Protection against blood-borne infections in the workplace: HIV and Hepatitis.¹ This publication also contains detailed guidance on disinfection and decontamination. Available from www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/blood-borne-virus.htm.

NHS Employers, The Healthy Workplaces Handbook. www.nhsemployers.org

The British Dental Association (2003). Advice sheet A12: infection control in dentistry. Available to subscribers at: www.bda.org/advice/docs/A12.pdf or from the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk.