Are you ready for JCAHO?- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
Are you ready for JCAHO?- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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November 30, 2000
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In This Issue:
Bright Horizons Center Dedicated
United Way/Tobin School Campaign Update
December Calendar
Are you ready for JCAHO?
Memorial Service–Karen Kaufman
This month’s Service Hero
Ask Yourself: Do You Perform Safe Work Practices?
In order to minimize the risk of occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, BWH employees must follow certain safe work practices. Hand washing is an essential part of reducing the risk of inoculating yourself or transmitting organisms to another person. The importance of hand washing in preventing infection transmission can not be overemphasized. Hands must be washed after contact with patients, blood, any potentially infectious materials, and any variety of contaminated articles. Hands must also be washed after the removal of gloves. Personal protective equipment must be worn when performing procedures that could expose work clothes, skin, eyes, mouth and/or other mucous membranes to blood and/or other potentially infectious materials. Personal protective barriers include gloves, gowns, face shields, masks, protective eyewear and ventilation devices. Proper disposal of these protective devices is required. Blood, other potentially infectious materials and items contaminated by these must always be handled as potentially infectious. This is a standard precaution. Additionally, regulated waste—such as the materials identified above—must be properly disposed of in the regulated medical waste. Soiled linen must be placed in the impervious blue plastic laundry bags at patients’ bedsides. BWH has also developed procedures to reduce the number of bloodborne pathogen exposures through needle sticks by reducing the use of needles and requiring the use of needle safety devices. All needles must be disposed of immediately after use, must never be left at the bedside and must never be recapped by hand. For additional information about safe work practices, please refer to the Safe Work Practices Policy in the Administrative Manual.