Infection Control

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 2

Subject:          Infection Control

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

Infection Control is a generic statement relating to the implementation of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) with specific regard to the prevention of Infection to employees and others from biological hazards.

The Department of Health provides clear guidance on actions to be taken to prevent or minimise risks of cross-contamination by the implementation of effective infection controls and cleanliness.

This guidance also gives detailed information on what managers need to comply with to ensure they meet the required standards. 

The first line of defence is your skin and therefore it is important to maintain good personal hygiene.

Good personal hygiene involves regular hand washing (especially after using the toilet, coughing, sneezing etc, before eating and handling food and after handling animals). 

Wash with liquid soap and warm water, dry with paper towels.

Cover all cuts and abrasions with waterproof dressings.

Wash off any splashes of bodily fluids (blood, saliva, phlegm, vomit, faeces etc) immediately and where skin is broken, use hot soapy running water for several minutes.

If you develop a skin disease, such as eczema or dermatitis, especially on the hands, immediately consult with your own doctor or the NIC Health & Safety Advisor.

Managers need to ensure that the appropriate Personal Protective equipment to work safely is in place prior to any work commences when bodily fluids may be an issue. 

Colleagues who deal with infection control standards within a working environment should ensure the following is in place:

• Before dealing with any body-fluid spillage you must put on a pair of non-powdered vinyl or latex-free CE marked disposable gloves.
• If you are clearing a large spillage you must also wear a disposable plastic apron.
• If your gloves or apron become cut or torn, dispose of them as clinical waste and put on new ones at the earliest opportunity.
• If you are in the middle of clearing up a spillage, STOP, wash and dry your hands before putting on a new pair of gloves.
• Dispose of PPE as for clinical waste. Remove apron first, then wash hands with gloves still on then peel off inside out.

Colleagues who deal with infection control standards within a working environment should ensure the following is in place:

Spillages to a Flat Surface

• Cover the spillage completely with a layer of absorbent material (newspaper, kitchen roll, toilet paper, floor cloth, paper towels).
• Mix one (1) part of ordinary household bleach with ten (10) parts of water and clean the area of the spillage.
• Remember to add the bleach to the water, not the water to the bleach (to avoid splashes).
• If you get bleach on your skin, wash it off at once with plenty of fresh running water.
• If bleach would damage the surface, use hot water with plenty of soap or detergent lather instead.
• Dispose of cloths/material used as clinical waste.

Extensive Spillages

• If the spillage is very extensive, as for example in a toilet with a lot of urine on the floor, the entire area should be mopped with plenty of very hot water containing soap or detergent.
• Mop up as much of the liquid as possible then clean the area with a suitable bleach or disinfectant solution.

Non Flat Surfaces

• Dip a handful of absorbent material in the bleach solution (one part bleach to ten parts water) and wipe up the spillage.
• Dispose of materials used as infected waste.

Managers need to ensure that colleagues who deal with infection control standards within a working environment should ensure the following is in place:

Dealing with Vomit

Dried vomit should be soaked with hot water and soap/detergent, left to soften, and disposed of as infected waste.

The surface should then be washed cleaned using the principles previously identified.

Dealing with Human Faeces

Where possible faeces may be scraped up (e.g. using a dustpan or shovel) and put down a toilet or where this is not possible, dealt with as clinical waste and disposed of accordingly.

Diarrhoea should be dealt with as for dried vomit or as a normal spillage.

Splashes of Bodily Fluids

If a colleague is splashed with another person’s bodily fluid on an area of unbroken skin, it must be washed off immediately.

If possible, use hot soapy running water for three to five minutes and rinse and dry well. 

Colleagues should be aware that tears are not a problem but saliva and phlegm may present a risk.

Managers need to ensure that there is an appropriate method for the disposal of contaminated materials is in place.

This can include the following:

• Infected waste must be disposed of as ‘clinical waste’ in a proper clinical waste sack or container provided for the disposal of infected waste;
• When clinical waste sacks or container are two thirds full they should be carefully sealed and kept in a safe and secure location until they can be collected;
• Clinical waste sacks can be obtained through the Waste Management Section;

REMEMBER– infected waste must never be put into an ordinary dustbin or disposed of with other waste.

Human bite wounds are notoriously deceptive and are often underestimated and under-treated.

Approximately 10-15% of human bite wounds become infected and this considerable infection rate is due to a variety of factors.

Patients often wait until infection is established before presenting late in the course of their injury, thus necessitating medical attention. 

Wounds evaluated earlier are frequently more extensive than estimated on initial examination by the inexperienced observer and are frequently managed inadequately.

The possibility of transmission of disease through human bites must be considered. 

Human bites have been shown to transmit hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes simplex virus (HSV), syphilis, tuberculosis and tetanus. 

Evidence also suggests that it is also biologically possible to transmit HIV through human bites, although this is quite unlikely.

A similar problem with infection exists with animal bites and therefore it is recommended that medical advice is sought following any bite.

Managers must ensure that where a human bite occurs, a violent incident is recorded and where an animal bite occurs, it is reported as an accident.

Managers need to consider how colleagues may come into contact with sharps which are likely to cause injury and take appropriate steps to minimise risk.

The term ‘sharps’ covers sharp objects such as broken glass, jagged metal, needles and syringes.

All sharp objects must be disposed of safely. Needles and syringes must be disposed of in a Sharps Container.

Small pieces of broken glass or jagged metal should also be disposed of in a Sharps Container.

Larger ‘sharps’ objects, which may also cut someone, should be wrapped in plenty of newspaper and fastened with adhesive tape to prevent further injury then sealed into a plastic bag that is clearly labelled as ‘sharp’.

It is recommended that if the sharps have been in contact with bodily-fluids then the plastic bag in which they have been sealed should be put into a yellow ‘clinical waste’ plastic bag.

For further information, refer to the Corporate Safety Manual Safety Policy and Arrangements – ‘Handling and Disposal of Needles’

Managers need to ensure that there are appropriate systems in place for disinfection in the following areas and those colleagues are following the appropriate systems to be maintained.

Disinfecting Equipment

Thoroughly wash any equipment you have been using to clear up bodily fluids, such as a dustpan or shovel, with hot soapy water.

If a cloth or handful of absorbent material is utilised to wash and/or dry your equipment, then dispose of that used equipment as clinical waste.

Disinfecting Floors and other Surfaces

After the spillage has been disinfected and removed, the surfaces must be made safe that was covered by the spillage.

All surfaces must be washed with plenty of hot water and soap / detergent, or approved disinfectant / bleach in order to remove any traces of germs which might remain.

Any floor area that becomes wet during cleaning should be clearly marked to warn of the potential slip hazard.

After cleaning floors and steps, they need to be left in a dry condition.

Disinfecting Clothing

If clothing becomes soiled with bodily fluids, washable items should be washed in a washing machine where available, on as hot a wash and rinse cycle as possible for the fabric.

Where the item is heavily soiled, as much as possible of the spillage should be removed first by sluicing with soapy water while wearing gloves and a disposable apron.

Managers need to provide a suitable method for the disposal of equipment and clothing which may be contaminated. 

Colleagues need to consider that following the use of protective equipment that they dispose of it as clinical waste.

If you have been wearing an apron, take it off whilst still wearing your gloves, and dispose of it as clinical waste.

Colleagues must always wash their hands in hot soapy water with your gloves still on, dry with absorbent material available and remove the gloves by peeling them off from inside to out and then disposed of as clinical waste.

Managers need to ensure that colleagues are aware of the following procedures following an incident.

If colleagues receive a cut from a sharp object, such as a discarded needle or a piece of broken glass, which has already cut someone else, encourage the wound to bleed by pinching and kneading the area (do not suck).

Initially put the wound under warm running water to encourage it to bleed and then wash the wound with hot soapy water.

Apply a pad of clean, absorbent material to the wound with firm pressure till bleeding stops.

Wash off any blood round the wound without disturbing it, dab dry with clean material and apply a waterproof dressing.

If bleeding continues, seek professional medical assistance.

Managers must ensure that all incidents are reported and colleagues are made to report any incident, which involves an injury or possibility of infection to their manager as soon as possible on the day it occurs.

An incident report must be completed as soon as possible for each colleague who has been injured or who may have been infected.

Further information on incident reporting is provided within the Safety Manual.

If you are still worried about any risks following any accident which involves an injury or possibility of infection to yourself then you should contact the Wellbeing and Health Improvement Team for further advice

If you have any questions, talk to your supervisor / line manager and / or the NIC Safety Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.