Topic 1: Follow standard and additional precautions for infection control
Workers in the health and community services sector come into contact with a range of people, all of whom may carry disease or be infected. Infection can be spread in four different ways:
- Airborne transmission
- Contamination of food and objects
- Contact through touch
- Contact with body fluids
One of the most simple but effective ways of preventing the spread of infection is maintaining personal hygiene. Hand-washing and other personal hygiene practices can reduce the likelihood of infection spreading.
Safe Work Australia has identified a hierarchy of control measures to address hazard and risks. Eliminating and substituting are the preferred methods for controlling hazards and their associated risks, followed by engineering and administrative controls. However, at times none of these controls are practical or sufficient and additional means must be employed. The correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), while not dealing with an infection hazard directly, can reduce the risk that infection will spread.
Clinical and other waste has the potential to cause injury to people both within and outside the organisation, and harm to the environment. Supervisors must support all workers to implement waste management policies and procedures and workers have an obligation to follow these.
Some infectious agents can live outside the body and surfaces can act as an agent for the transmission of infection. It is important that surfaces are kept clean to prevent the spread of infection.
In this topic you will learn how to:
1A Follow hand hygiene practices to prevent the spread of infection
1B Implement effective hand care procedures
1C Use PPE and ensure it is effective to prevent the spread of infection
1D Follow the procedures for respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
1E Follow procedures for environmental cleaning
1F Follow procedures to safely handle, transport and process linen to prevent the spread of infection
1G Follow procedures to safely dispose of contaminated waste
1H Follow procedures to handle and clean equipment to prevent exposure, contamination of clothing and transfer of pathogens
1I Identify and respond to situations where additional precautions may be required to prevent transmission of infection
