Bloodborne Pathogens and Their Threat to School Safety

23.08.2010 Author: Jim Nulsen
Posted in Health & Fitness

Exposure to bloodborne pathogens could happen on any school campus, at any time, and on any given day. Consider for a moment how often school employees encounter students that have suffered a bloody nose during class. Or how frequently kids on the playground sustain cuts, scrapes, and other bleeding injuries. Also, students becoming ill and vomiting in the classroom is unfortunately not uncommon on school grounds as well. It may not be the most glamorous part of a school employee’s job, but it’s vital that school staff learn and understand how to properly handle bloodborne pathogen exposures to aid others while protecting themselves. Bloodborne pathogens safety training is one of the most crucial parts of a school staff member’s job, which is why it’s an annual school safety training requirement for most school district employees across the country.

Any human bodily fluid containing blood can carry BBPs. School personnel can be at risk when:

>>> providing first aid
>>> intervening in a student fight or
>>> cleaning up bodily fluids

…all common activities in a school community. That’s why all employees – custodians, teachers, and administrators – should be familiar with proper BBP procedures. Even if you are not required to handle bodily fluids as part of your job, you need to be prepared.

Bloodborne pathogens, which are commonly referred to as “BBPs,” can be bacterial (i.e. staph or strep) or viruses (i.e. flu, colds, hepatitis A, B, or C, and HIV). BBPs are present in blood and other bodily fluids, and can be transmitted when blood or body fluid from an infected person enters another person’s body through cuts, abrasions, or body cavities (such as the mouth, eyes, or nose). And while, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 300,000 new cases of BBP exposure reported each year, the greatest risk to school personnel is from the hepatitis B virus. It is particularly crucial to stress protection and prevention in regards to hepatitis B, as the signs and symptoms of the virus may not manifest for a long time – often weeks or months. Hepatitis B causes liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice and sometimes death. However, chronic hepatitis B may eventually cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy treatment. There is no “cure” or specific treatment for hepatitis B, but many people who contract the disease will develop antibodies, which help them get over the infection and protect them from getting it again. It is important to note, however, that there are different kinds of hepatitis, so infection with Hepatitis B will not stop someone from getting another type.

Similarly, the CDC also estimates that there are as many as 3 million people currently infected with hepatitis C and most of them don’t even know it yet! Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States. Most people with this virus are chronically infected and might not be aware of their infection because they are not clinically ill. Many patients with hepatitis C exhibit no symptoms prior to the development of liver cirrhosis. Those with symptoms exhibit fatigue, loss of appetite, joint and body aches, nausea and abdominal discomfort. That is why it is essential for K-12 staff to be diligent in protecting themselves from any BBP exposure.

No matter the position and its particular duties, the risk of encountering an accident involving bodily fluids on the job, such as blood, is always present for all school district employees. And any human bodily fluid containing blood can carry BBPs. School districts should have key prevention strategies in place such as providing BBP Training to all staff.

A key prevention strategy, therefore, is to always exercise universal precautions – a series of precautious measures designed to prevent against the transmission of bloodborne pathogens. A good example of universal precautions would be the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves, when handling blood or other bodily fluids.

SafeSchools, the nation’s leading provider of online safety training for schools, currently offers expertly-authored bloodborne pathogens health safety training courses for school employees: Bloodborne Pathogens: Full Course and Bloodborne Pathogens: Refresher Course. The Full Course version is meant to be taken once, while the Refresher version – a concise overview of the material that is updated annually – is meant to be taken every year thereafter.

A Refresher version of the SafeSchools Bloodborne Pathogens course is also available in Spanish. Each of the SafeSchools’ BBP courses is written by two of the nation’s leading experts on BBP, James Vaughan and Karl Sommers III. Mr. Vaughan is President of Today’s Resources, Inc. (TRI), a full-service safety and health-consulting firm. He also has direct OSHA compliance and loss-control experience. Karl Sommers III, a TRI associate, has experience as a safety director in a manufacturing environment and leadership duties within area professional safety organizations. SafeSchools’ bloodborne pathogens safety training address facts about the disease, give guidelines for the cleanup and handling of potentially infected bodily fluids, wastes, or contaminated materials, discusses the risk associated with school workers exposed to BBPs, and delivers training designed to emphasize the practices of proper exposure control. The courses contain specific important references to OSHA regulations.

The SafeSchools’ suite of BBP courses help school districts manage their school safety compliance which is essential to providing a safe learning environment for staff, students, and parents, alike.

For more information, please call 1-800-434-0154 or info@safeschools.com

Jim Nulsen, SafeSchools, a web based safety training and tracking system designed specifically for school employee training. A powerful library of expertly authored courses, combined with the SafeSchools Compliance Management System, makes it easy to deliver all of the essential health and safety awareness training you need for every employee in your district.

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