Universal Precautions

Universal precautions is an approach to infection control to treat all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in America and  Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) in the UK are the two main agencies working on the development and implementation of health standards and practice.

In Ireland the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) promotes the implementation of such regulations.

COURSE CONTENTS

Attending the course will give you an overview into the key areas of Universal Precautions. See below for example of contents.

Bloodborne Pathogen Standard 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(1) requires:

Employees to observe Universal Precautions to prevent contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).

Under circumstances in which differentiation between body fluid types is difficult or impossible, all body fluids shall be considered potentially infectious materials.

Treat all blood and other potentially infectious materials with appropriate precautions such as:
Use gloves, masks, and gowns if blood or OPIM exposure is anticipated.
Use engineering and work practice controls to limit exposure.

Participants will also be provided practical advice and guidance on the control of substances hazardous to health which is specific to the funeral sector. You can also find information on what the law requires and advice on complying with the HSA, HSE and the Department of Agriculture’s requirements and inspections.