Life is filled with dangers that lurk around us, anything can happen, and it sure strikes fear in people. But that doesn’t mean we need to live in constant worry of sudden danger, as long as we take care of our safety and follow precautions, the chances of getting into a dangerous situation are pretty slim. But how do you exactly do such a thing, there are so many ways to get hurt or sick, is it truly possible to prevent these things from happening? The answer is maybe, it all depends on how willing you are to learn the safety guidelines, especially if you work in dangerous environments, being exposed to all sorts and kinds of things. So here’s how to easily prevent exposure to bloodborne pathogens!
What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?
Before you even consider these safety precautions, you need to know why they are important to follow in the first place. A lot of people might have already heard about the consequences of it, but a small number of people know the name and the reason how this can come to be. Essentially, bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms in your body that are extremely infectious and the result of getting infected by them can cause severe diseases that are sometimes even fatal if left untreated. The most talked-about diseases caused by bloodborne pathogens are human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and many other ones as well. Bloodborne diseases are transmitted if someone’s blood – or cut is exposed to infectious fluids of someone else. These kinds of illnesses can be contracted without someone even noticing, as it only takes one small wound to contract it!
Your Own Safety
So you are working at a facility where you are being exposed to all sorts and kinds of infectious fluids and particles, and because of that, you are putting yourself in a high-risk position every day. To make the matters worse a lot of the companies won’t even give their trusted employees the right tools and safe environment to work in. It’s pretty common that a lot of employers won’t even consider that some people can get in danger. But on the other hand, some companies are adamant to give their employees the best possible training and knowledge, taking their offering to teach you something that can save your life is a must! If you want to work in those kinds of fields of work, you need to be as educated and ready as you possibly can, in order to save yourself and prevent your clients from getting infected as well. The truth is, there is nothing more dangerous than being careless in a high-risk work environment, to make sure you take it seriously!
Nursing
The most common way you are exposed to BBP or blood-borne pathogens is if you are working with infected patients. Nurses, doctors, retirement home workers, or anyone in the medical field that works with sharp objects like needles can in fact put themselves in danger if not properly trained. Medical workers are surrounded by diseases every day, and a little bit of carelessness can cause a lot of damage. So if you are in this field of work, make sure you know how to handle and dispose of infected items, to avoid contracting a BBP along the way!
Garbage Disposing
Unfortunately, the medical workers aren’t the only ones directly affected by infected tools like needles, people who dispose of those same items need to be cautious. Even if they aren’t directly in contact with these things, danger can lurk in the middle of a street, being tucked away in a garbage bag. Wearing the right gear and knowing how to handle it can actually save your life! Being a housekeeper or a janitor is far from an easy job, and it can be dangerous depending on the situation and environment, to begin with!
Safety Of Clients
There is another side to this story, not those who can get the BBP, but those who can infect other people – whilst not even knowing about it. This can be extremely dangerous, as these careers tend to have a large pool of customers, both new ones and those who come back wanting more. These working positions are usually dentists, tattoo artists, a cosmetic nurse, a body piercer, and anyone else who might use needles and sharp objects on their clients! The clients who are entitled to ask are following the safety precautions or not, and they are more than entitled to leave when they take a look at your workplace. These kinds of transmissions keep happening since the one who’s using the sharp object doesn’t clean it properly, or most commonly replace it with a new one – unpacked right in front of the customer. This way the cycle continues, and it can be dangerous to so many lives!
Tattoo Artists And Body Piercers
In this field of work, many customers come and go, since it’s not particularly a medical procedure, you aren’t sure what is the medical history of those same customers, that’s why strict rules and safety guidelines need to be followed in order to ensure the safety of other people. Basically, it’s the piercer’s job to use a new, sterile needle that’s opened right in front of the customer – so they are sure it’s unused. This is the number one rule, so the mass spreading of the BBP doesn’t happen. Tattoo artists also must clean their tools and replace needles, as they are working with flesh and blood is being involved – this means that multiple people can’t be tattooed with the same needle by any means!
At the end of the day, you just want to stop the spreading of these rigorous diseases as efficiently as you can – no one deserves to get infected! Accidents do happen, especially in high-risk environments, but it’s all about knowing the safety precautions and sticking to them. For the safety of those who put themselves in danger in order to help others, and also those who put their trust and wellbeing in other people both sides need to be careful when it comes down to it! The damage can be lifelong, so it’s always best to be safer than sorry!