Universal Infection Control Precautions

current European Laws, National Legislation, National Guidelines, Local Policies, Protocols and Consent

Human Rights Act 1998
Everyone has the right to make their own decisions about all aspects of their medical and personal care. No one should be discriminated against because of their age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, cultural beliefs or disability.
This act states that everyone has the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes the freedom to change religion or belief. Everyone also has the right to freedom of expression of opinion. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of themselves and the family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, necessary…show more content…
When blood, body fluids or chemicals spill onto equipment or the environment they are a potential infection risk and should be cleaned up as soon as possible.
I would firstly carry out a risk assessment for any spillage and deal with it using standard Universal Infection Control Precautions.
In the event of a spillage, I would close off the immediate area to avoid others coming into contact and put up a yellow hazard warning sign to ensure everyone is aware of the potential hazard. I would undertake a risk assessment to establish what cleaning products and methods I would need to clean the area. I would also check for sharps e.g. syringe needles, cannulas or broken glass. I would then put on my personal protective equipment consisting of a pair of gloves and a plastic apron. If I assumed splashing was likely I would wear face protection.
I would cover the spillage with paper towels to remove the excess, and dispose of them in the yellow clinical waste bin. If the spillage were blood or body fluids, I would treat the area with a solution of ten Actichor tablets in one litre of cold water. Alternatively, for domestic waste such as tea or coffee, I would treat the spillage with one Actichor tablet in one litre of cold…show more content…
 Use handles to carry sharps box.
 Do not disassemble devices unless absolutely necessary. Needles and syringes should be disposed of as a single unit. If it were necessary to detach a needle, I would use the device on the sharps box or forceps.
 Used needles must never be re-sheathed, bent, cut or broken.
 Sharps must not be passed from hand to hand.
After use:
 Sharps containers must not be filled above the “fill” line.
 Dispose of sharps immediately after use into approved box. Extra vigilance is required during emergency procedures.
 Securely lock the container when full. The name of the person and the date of disposal should be clearly written on the outside of the container.
 All sharps bins must be disposed of as clinical waste, for incineration only. Sharps containers must never be placed in sacks.
 Any damaged sharps containers must be placed inside a larger sharps container and sealed.
 It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that used sharps are disposed of in a safe manner.
 Sharps must never be placed in containers used for storage of other waste i.ei clinical waste bins.
Accidental Inoculation