Facilities
BLOODBORNE PATHOGEN
Bloodborne pathogen training in schools must follow each individual school's written plan. Maine School Management, after consultation with Maine Department of Labor, suggests and has developed two specific training modules with respect to Maine schools for bloodborne pathogens: Awareness and Responder Training Modules. Awareness training is for most teachers andstaff that will not in all likelihood be exposed to bloodborne pathogens and the training can be a pamphlet, written document, or simple training course like the one below. Responder training (like the example, Section 2) must be taught by a nurse or other qualified person and is for a select few staff (custodians, bus drivers, secretary, nurse, special education, coaches, etc.) that will provide direct assistance to bloodborne incidents and/or clean them up. It is important to understand that bloodborne incidents are situations where person(s) are exposed to bodily fluids that contain blood andnot simply fluids like mucous, urine, or feces. The training modules are detailed below and designed to provide Section 1: awareness and avoidance training for the vast majority of school personnel, and Section 2:a basic understanding of bloodborne pathogens, common modes of their transmission, methods of prevention, and other pertinent information for a small designated group of responders. This program is designed to meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030. Awareness Training is provided below in this section and Responder Training is provided in the subsequent linked sectionsbelow.
NOTE: Responders MUST be offered a) Hepatitus B vaccinations (shot or sign-off form required) and b) follow-up with a trained health professional following all exposure events. Documentation of the offers must be made available. To receive credit for completing the Awareness Module, simply read and complete the quiz below. For the Responder Module, the training must be live or under the control of a person versed in the BBP rules. Responders, please review the linked sections below, take the quiz at the end of the last section, and be sure to have a nurse or other qualified person approve and train you with regard to Section 2 below (or some other BBP training).
SECTION 1: BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS (BBP) AWARENESS TRAINING MODULE
Todocument awareness training, please print out this page and thensign and date it.
A) General Information. Most school staff are not exposed to bloodborne pathogens as a part of their regular duties and are not considered "at-risk" employees. Therefore, most school staff (excludes "responders" detailed above) can take this awareness training module to comply with current laws and regulations. However, should an emergency arise where contact with blood is necessary or just happens, staff should be aware of possible bloodborne risks of infection so they can take steps to prevent exposure. Preventing exposure is the key to this awareness training module. Unless it is an emergency where life or limb is at risk (the good samaritan law applies here and staff should see the nurse if they ever come into contact with blood), awareness-trained staff should take all reasonable steps to avoid exposure to blood. In general, staff should protect themselves from exposureand summona person trained and qualified to handle the bloodborne event (responder). Summoning the responder is usually better that sending the person to the responder as it may reduce spread of contaminationand make clean-up easier. Remember that urine, mucous, and feces do not normally contain blood unless an injury or other out of the ordinary condition exist, and therefore are not part of part of the bloodborne plan normally.
Certain diseases are however transmitted through blood. Bloodborne pathogens refers primarily to twodiseases that staff may come into contact with during emergencies, accidents, or injuries that involve blood. The two diseases are Hepatitus B (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hepatitus means "inflammation of the liver" and the B virus is the most common bloodborne virus that school staff may be exposed to. Symptoms of HBV include flu-like symptoms or no symptoms at all. The other more uncommon disease, HIV, attacks the body's immune system which eventually leads to AIDS for which there is no cure.
Transmission of all bloodborne diseasesoccurs the same way: from an infected person (blood, bodily fluids contaminated with blood, certain tissues, or secretions) to another person via a cut, abrasion, acne, open cut/wound, sex organ, or mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth). The most common cause is "needlesticks" in hopsitals/clinics and these are not common in schools. However, transmission can occur with all the above-listed sources and staff must take care to avoid blood whenever possible and take precautions when avoidance is impossible.
Each school must have a writtenBBPplan thatidentifies and designates “awareness” and "responders" staff that will be involved with bloodborne incidents. However, all staff, ONLY in an emergency involving life or loss of limb, might have to assist someone in trouble. In an emergency, all school personnel should take precautions to guard against BBP exposure and should at a minimum:
-wear gloves and a splash shield whenever an unavoidable incident occurs
-seek medical consultation and vacinnation following an unavoidable event
-immediately wash thoroughly with soap and water after an incident-it is very effective against transmission of disease
B)AvoidanceProtocol for Most Blood Incidents. A viable procedure to avoid exposuremight be for staff to put on gloves wheneverblood is seen or suspected, help the person to the nearest bathroom, provide the person with material (gauze, towels, etc.) to stop the flow of blood/mucous themself, summon the nurse or some other responder, and avoid contact with the person wheneverpossible. It is important to help the person, but avoid exposure if possible. If exposure does happen, immediately wash the exposed area thoroughly, document the incident, and contact the school office or nurse for further instruction.
C) Awareness/Avoidance Quiz: Answer the following:
1) True or False: The best way to reduce transmission of BBP disease is to prevent exposure and not come in contact with any blood or blood-contaminated bodily fluids.
2) True or False: Excluding emergencies where life or limb is at risk, teachers and other "non-responders" should notassist in events involving blood unless theyhave been formally trained and protected.
3) True or False: The most common BBP diseases that school staff may be exposed to are Hepatitus B and HIV.
4) True or False: Our school must have a written BBP plan that we follow and that is communicated to all school employees.
5) True or False: Most school staff are not at risk of BBP disease, but they should be aware of sources and risks to help avoid exposure.
Name: ______Title:______
Date: ______
(Note: if you answered false to any of the questions, please reread the info and retake the quiz)
(Section 2: Responder Training includes: [Introduction][Diseases][Transmission][Controls][Labels][Emergencies][Vaccinations][Quiz][Modules])