Tifton Campus: Administration: Employee Resources
Handbook of Emergency Procedures & Employee Safety Policies
Universal Precautions for Administering First Aid
Most approaches to infection control are based on a concept called Universal Precautions. It requires that persons administering aid consider every person, all blood and body fluids to be a potential carrier of infectious disease.
When administering first aid, the following standards of practice should be followed:
- Wash hands with antiseptic towelettes if there is any
possibility of contact with blood, body fluids or human
tissues from an injured worker. Wash hands with soap and
water as soon as possible.
- Wear gloves when anticipating contact with blood, body
fluids, tissues, mucous membranes or contaminated surfaces,
or if breaks in the skin are present.
- Wear an impervious gown or apron if splattering of clothes
is likely.
- Wear a mask if there is to be contact with an infectious
disease spread by splatter droplets.
- Wear appropriate protective equipment at all times including
a mask and eye protection if aerosolization or splattering
is likely to occur when attending to an injured person.
- Make mouthpieces, resuscitation bags and other resuscitation
devices readily available for use in areas where the need
for resuscitation is likely and carry appropriate devices
in emergency response kits.
- Handle sharp objects carefully.
- Do not cut, bend, break or reinsert used needles into original sheath by hand.
- Discard sharp objects intact, immediately after use into an impervious sharps disposal box which should be carried whenever needles are in the emergency response kit.
- Report immediately all needle stick accidents, mucosal splashes or contamination of open wounds with blood or body fluids.
- Dispose of all spills which contain or may contain biological
contaminants in accordance with policies for hazardous waste
disposal. Until clean up is complete, the accident area
should be roped off to other workers.
- Post Universal Precaution signs in all areas designated for first aid and on emergency response boxes and first aid kits.
This handbook was updated October, 2002.