Dealing with Blood and Body Fluids

Dealing with Blood and Other Body Fluids

There are recognised risks from coming into contact with moist body substances (blood and other body fluids). Several diseases can be contracted from infected blood or body fluids, including AIDS and hepatitis B.

To keep safe, follow this rule: don't touch until there is a barrier between you and the spill.

All moist body substances should be treated as potentially infectious. They include:

• blood spills: all cuts, abrasions or punctures to the skin or mucous membranes

• any bleeding (menstrual, nose, or anal)

• vomit

• saliva

• urine and faeces.

All staff must be aware of the procedures to use when dealing with moist body substances, both in attending to the child, and cleaning up afterwards.

The school must provide the necessary equipment, i.e., disposable gloves, cleaning materials and fluid. Staff should cover any cuts they have, especially those on their hands or arms.

Dealing with moist body substances

• Whenever possible, get the patient to deal with their own blood spill. Instruct them quietly and firmly to apply a band aid, hanky, towel or jersey to the area, and to apply pressure and elevate the bleeding area if possible.

• Do not let a student attend to another student's injury.

• Use disposable gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you remove the gloves. If you don't use disposable gloves, thoroughly wash your hands, lower arms and anywhere else that has been in contact with or splashed by blood, after handling blood.

• Avoid contact with blood if your hands or lower arms have open cuts or unhealed wounds.

• Keep people away from body fluid spills.

Cleaning up

• Put the used gloves and any cotton wool, gauze, etc. that has had contact with moist body substances into a plastic bag and seal it for disposal.

• Wash off any spills on your skin with water or diluted bleach solution (1:10).

• Wipe down the benches or other affected areas with cold or tepid tap water and then with diluted bleach solution (1:10).

• Wash carpeted areas with soap and water.

• Wash scissors or other instruments thoroughly in cold tap water to remove any blood before sterilising them by either boiling for at least 10 minutes, or soaking for 30 minutes in diluted bleach solution (1:10).