Bloodborne Pathogens Plant City Police Department

Annual Requirement

In accordance with the Plant City Police Department Standard Operating Procedure all officers must be provided with bloodborne pathogen training annually. Please review the information provided in this lesson by reviewing each slide carefully.

While there is no examination associated with this lesson, each slide must be reviewed to recieve credit for completion.

What are Bloodborne Pathogens

Bloodborne Pathogens are disease causing microorganisms that may be present in human blood. They may be transmitted with any exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material.

Two pathogens of significance are Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Hepatitis B

What is Hepatitis B? ◦ One of the five viruses that causes illness directly affecting the

liver

◦ Major cause of viral hepatitis which is preventable through immunization

Hepatitis B Symptoms: ◦ Weakness, fatigue, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, fever,

headache, possible jaundice (A yellow discoloration of the skin)

◦ Blood will test positive for the HBV surface antigen within 2 to 6 weeks after symptoms develop

◦ May show no symptoms, and therefore not be diagnosed

HBV Facts

200 out of 8700 health care workers contracting Hepatitis B will die yearly.

HBV is more persistent than HIV in that it is able to survive for at least a week in dried blood on environment surfaces or contaminated instruments.

Approximately 85% of patients recover in 6 - 8 weeks.

What is HIV?

Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that infects immune system T4 blood cells in humans and renders them less effective in preventing disease

It is the virus identified as being responsible for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

HIV Symptoms

Night sweats, weight loss, fever, fatigue, gland pain or swelling, muscle or joint pain

May feel fine and not be aware of exposure to HIV for as much as 8 to 10 years

Blood tests may not show positive for as long as a year, and therefore multiple tests may be required to determine if the person has been infected

HIV Facts

Estimates in the US say that 1 out of 250 people are infected with HIV

There are over 100 case reports of health care workers whose HIV infection is associated with occupational exposure

Over 200,000 AIDS patients have been reported to the CDC, 84 of which are health care workers with no other identified reason for infection

Universal Precautions to be Taken by PCPD Members

Wear disposable surgical gloves when contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials, or a member of a high risk group, is likely.

Wash hands thoroughly as soon as possible after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials or a member of a high risk group. Members should wash hands even if gloves were worn during contact.

When hand washing facilities aren't present, an antiseptic hand cleanser should be used until they are. When using such a cleanser, officers should allow hands to air dry by rubbing them together in a vigorous manner before engaging in other activities.

Carefully bandage open wounds and cuts on their hands and lower arms to avoid contact with contaminated objects. Bandages should be sealed on four sides and should be changed if they become soiled or wet.

Universal Precautions to be Taken by PCPD Members, cont.

Supervisors should be observant for open wounds and cuts on their subordinates and ensure proper precautions are taken.

Members are cautioned to be aware that, in the event contaminated substances transfer to their hands or clothing, any object they touch or come into contact with may also become contaminated.

Gloves should be removed after contact with injured persons or members of a high risk group, between tasks, and when departing an accident or crime scene. Contaminated clothing must be removed immediately or as soon thereafter as possible.

All departmental property and equipment should be cleaned and decontaminated with an appropriate disinfectant after contact with blood or other potentially infected materials.

Universal Precautions to be Taken by PCPD Members, cont.

Members should not eat, drink, smoke, handle contact lenses, or apply cosmetics or lip balm in situations where there is a likelihood of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Members should wear personal protective equipment (PPE), as appropriate, given the nature of the specific hazard

Contaminated personal protective equipment and other contaminated materials should be properly disposed of in a red biohazard bag or container.

Conducting Searches

Officers should use extraordinary care when conducting searches of persons, places, and things.

Officers should never blindly place their hands into areas where there may be sharp objects that could puncture the skin

Vehicles, pockets, purses, luggage, backpacks, bedding and other objects should be searched slowly and methodically

Members should never attempt to break, bend, shear, recap or otherwise manipulate needles or syringes by hand

Entering and Remaining in Crime Scenes

Officer responding to crime scenes contaminated with blood or body fluids should exercise extreme care to avoid contact with contaminated substances, whether those substances are wet or dry

Once the situation is assessed, personal protective equipment should be worn, as necessary, to safely process or remain at the scene

Eye protection and facemasks should be worn whenever collecting blood or body fluids as evidence

Members should wear eye protection in situations where blood or body fluid splash is likely

Members should not smoke, eat, or drink at a crime scene. Members should be aware that they will contaminate all objects they touch if they themselves are contaminated

Entering and Remaining in Crime Scenes, cont.

In keeping with good investigative practices, unauthorized

persons should not be permitted to enter crime scenes until investigative activities and decontamination have been completed

If, in the members professional judgment, the use of personal protective equipment would prevent them from performing a needed medical or emergency procedure or would pose an increased hazard to their safety, the wearing of personal protective equipment may be waived. Great care and sound judgment must be exercised in the event PPE is not utilized

Contaminated personal protective equipment should be removed immediately upon exiting the crime scene and placed in an appropriate biohazard container or red biohazard bag.

Handling Evidence/Property

Extraordinary care must be taken when handling evidence or property contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials. Gloves and other PPE should be worn as necessary.

Contaminated sharps should be picked up using mechanical means, such as pliers, tweezers, tongs or other devices, or with appropriate hand protection

All contaminated evidence/property should be placed in appropriate containers, according to the condition of the item

- Liquids should be placed in bottles or left in their original container if possible - Syringes and other sharps should be placed into leak-proof, puncture resistant containers that should always remain upright and never be allowed to overfill - Wet items should be air-dried prior to packaging, when possible - Items that are dry should be properly sealed (Double bagged) before submission

Handling Evidence/Property

Refrigerators, freezers and all packaging used to ship or store contaminated evidence or property should be labeled with bio-hazardous warning labels and the agency's name, address, and date collected. Labeling should be accomplished in a way that will prevent loss or unintentional removal of the labels.

No food or drink should be stored in a refrigerator, freezer or other container together with contaminated evidence or property, unless such food or drink is also contaminated and has been properly packaged and labeled.

Personal Protective Equipment

The appropriate use of personal protective equipment is essential to health and safety. Personal protective equipment is useless if it is not used when needed, or if it is used improperly

If an officer has or develops an allergy to any personal protective

equipment or device (Such as vinyl gloves), they should advise their supervisor. The supervisor should arrange for alternative types of equipment, such as hypoallergenic gloves, glove liners, etc., to be supplied to the employee.

Gloves should be worn by all employees whenever hand contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials is anticipated.

Disposable, single-use gloves must be replaced as soon as possible if they are contaminated, torn, punctured or otherwise lose their ability to function as a barrier

Disposable gloves should not be washed or decontaminated for re-use

Personal Protective Equipment, cont.

Utility gloves, such as those made of vinyl, leather or other heavy material can be decontaminated for re-use if their integrity has not been compromised. Utility gloves must be discarded if they exhibit signs of deterioration or otherwise lose their ability to function as a barrier.

Eye protection devices, such as goggles, glasses with side shields, face shields, etc., should be worn whenever splashes, spray, splatter, or dropping of blood or other infectious materials may occur.

Protective body clothing, such as gowns or aprons, should be worn when body exposure to blood or other infectious materials is anticipated. If a garment is penetrated by blood or other potentially infectious materials, it should be removed immediately or as soon thereafter as possible.

Contaminated PPE should be removed prior to leaving the work area or scene, if feasible. The removed PPD should be placed in an appropriate bio-hazardous waste container for disposal.

Removing Gloves

Grasp the outer surface of one

glove with the other gloved hand

"rubber to rubber" and pull off the

glove. Discard the glove into the

designated receptacle.

2. Removing the second glove.

Note that the person touches only

the "inside" surface of the glove

with his bare hand.

Availability of Personal Protective Equipment

An infectious disease kit containing the following types of PPE will be available to all personnel having occupational exposure:

Decontamination and clean up materials will be distributed to all sergeants

Replacement PPE materials will be available from the police department's property room

PPE will be considered appropriate only if it doesn't allow blood or other potentially infectious materials to pass through to or reach the member's work clothes, skin or mucous membranes under normal conditions of use and for the duration of time that the PPE will be in use

Additional inventory of all listed equipment is maintained by the Administrative Services Division. In cases of emergency, PPE reserves are available from the equipment room located in the Uniform Patrol Squad Room.

Any use of PPE while working with bio-hazardous materials (excluding the routine use of gloves/hand wipes, etc) must be documented in the applicable incident/offense report.

"Bio-hazardous materials" warning labels and containers should be placed at all locations where property and evidence packaging materials are located.

Availability of Personal Protective Equipment

Disposable surgical gloves

Fluid resistant disposable gowns

Eye protection

Face mask/shield

Disposable shoe covers

Liquid hand disinfectant

Disposable towelettes

C.P.R. Rescue Mask

Red Bag for bio-hazardous Waste

Cleaning Contaminated Areas & Clothing

Equipment contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials should be decontaminated before being stored or returned to service. If decontamination procedures cannot be effected immediately, the equipment will be taken out of service and secured to avoid accidental contact. A "bio-hazardous warning" label will then be attached until cleaning occurs.

Under no circumstances should disposable equipment be cleaned and then re-used

Non-disposable equipment that cannot be decontaminated should be discarded in the proper manner in a biohazard waste container/red bag. Discarding of contaminated non-disposable equipment must be reported via memorandum to the members chain of command in order to obtain replacement. The memorandum must describe the circumstances surrounding the contamination and the related report number.

Cleaning Contaminated Areas & Clothing

Contaminated equipment and surfaces should be cleaned with hot soapy water and an approved disinfectant or a solution containing one (1) part bleach to ten (10) parts water. It should be noted that, once the bleach solution is mixed, it becomes ineffective after approximately 24 hours.

Contaminated areas, such as rooms, vehicle interiors, and holding cells should be disinfected prior to being reoccupied. A "bio-hazardous warning" notice should be posted on all contaminated areas until decontamination procedures are completed.

Cleaning Contaminated Items/Areas, cont.

Bio-hazardous waste and cleaning materials should be placed into appropriately labeled waste bags that have been constructed to prevent leakage. All waste bags must be tied or taped shut. Torn bags or those contaminated from the outside should be placed into a second bag. All contaminated disposable equipment should be sealed in a container, bag, or red bag (if appropriate) and properly labeled with a Bio-Hazardous Material tag and brought to the Department's storage and pick up location to await disposal. Contaminated equipment or materials destined for disposal should never be placed into ordinary trash receptacles.

If a uniform or other article of clothing is soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials, it should be changed as soon as possible. The clothing must then be placed in a color-coded leak proof bag and labeled "Bio-hazard". Contaminated laundry will be transported to a site selected by the agency to perform laundering. Members must not clean contaminated laundry or take it home to be cleaned.

Documentation of the Exposure

Documentation of every exposure incident is essential. All exposure incident will be treated as if the source individual is infectious. There are two forms which must be completed following and exposure incident: ◦ Plant City Police Department Exposure Incident Report ◦ Exposure Incident Evaluation and Follow-up

After thoroughly cleaning the affected area with soap and water, the affected member must report the exposure incident to their immediate supervisor as soon as possible and then complete the required forms.

During daytime working hours the affected member should report the Lakeside Occupational Health Center (2303 Airport Rd., Plant City, FL) and the South Florida Baptist Hospital for after hour incidents. Officers should provide documentation to staff. The nurse will provide consultation and, if appropriate, make and appointment with the City physician for further assessment.

The affected member should also consult with the Chief of Police regarding the possibility of obtaining a test of the source individual's blood to determine infectivity.

The affected member's supervisors will assist in the completion of all necessary documentation and decontamination efforts, if needed.