SWMS
Infection Control
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Safe Work Method Statement
Infection Control:
PPE, sharps, cleaning, hand hygiene
Flinders
NT
School of
Anatomy
S.O.P NUMBER
RISK ASSESSMENT NUMBER
RISK ASSESSMENT
Medium
DATE CREATED
Dr Patricia Bate/Kristy
Howell
17/1/2013
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Employees Involved in SOP Creation
REVIEW DATE
17/1/2016
Personal Protective Equipment Required
Long Nitrile Gloves – to be worn throughout entire procedure
Long sleeved surgical gown
Covered no-slip shoes
Other precautions to be taken
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Ensure nails are clean, short and unvarnished
Designated sharps container conforming to Australian Standard AS4031
Hazards
(List hazards present during the undertaking of this method)
 Spread of infection due to poor techniques
 Chemical injury – inhalation or contact
 Manual handling
Before Commencing any work with Cadaveric material
Potential health and safety problems associated with use of cadaveric material and preservative chemicals can
be largely avoided by appropriate PPE, hand antisepsis, environment cleaning and appropriate disposal of
sharps.
Alcohol-based hand antisepsis provides a significantly greater reduction of micro-organisms on hands than
hand washing and is therefore preferable for most clinical situations. However, hand washing with soap is
indicated when hands are visibly soiled
Ensure that you are aware of the locations of:

Spill Kit

Fire Extinguisher
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Eye Wash

Exits
Ensure that you have read and understood
 Risk Assessment and SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for all the substances being used
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Infection Control
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Equipment
 Check for safety compliance
 Ensure that you have read and understood the Risk Assessment and Safe Work Method
Statement
 Obtain training before using any lab equipment
Hazardous waste
 Prepare appropriate labelled containers for tips, vials, waste solutions
Procedure
All people working with cadaveric material must
 Wear full PPE
 Observe correct procedures for hand antisepsis, management of sharps, chemicals and other equipment
 Observe correct procedures for manual handling,
Hand Antisepsis: Alcohol Rub
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Make sure that the hands are not wet (ie. with water) before commencing alcohol hand antisepsis.
Ensure all skin surfaces are accessible.
Dispense 2-3 squirts of alcohol rub from the dispenser onto the hands.
Rub hands to cover all hand and finger surfaces, including fingertips and the dorsal sides of thumbs.
Rub hands together until alcohol has dried by evaporation. Takes 15-30 seconds
Hand Antisepsis: Hand washing
 Use soap or other detergents and water
 Ensure all skin surfaces are accessible.
 Rub soap onto the hands all hand and finger surfaces, including fingertips and the dorsal sides of
thumbs.
 Rinse with fresh water
 Dry with single use towel
Sharps:
 Single use sharps to be used , though all other instruments to be scrubbed & soaked in appropriate
disinfectant
 will not be passed hand to hand but will be disposed of by the user into sharps disposal bin at point of
use
 When full the sharps disposal bin will be placed into clinical waste bin near the generator, outside the
Anatomy Lab for collection by waste disposal company.
Cleaning – Equipment and Surfaces:
 Every teaching session involving wet specimens will be quarantined by a subsequent one hour cleaning
break
 Frequently touched surfaces and all horizontal surfaces will be cleaned with detergent and disinfectant
immediately after sessions with wet specimens, and weekly.
 Disinfectant will be used according to manufacturer’s instructions with appropriate PPE and in
accordance with SDS.
 Other surfaces will be cleaned with detergent and disinfectant after spillage, when visibly soiled and
weekly.
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Infection Control
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Dissection instruments will be scrubbed with detergent and disinfectant after each use
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Models and texts will not be handled while wearing gloves
Models and texts will not be placed on trolleys that hold wet specimens
Any texts that are handled with gloves or laid on a tray with a wet specimen or visibly soiled
will remain in the Laboratory stored in a sealed box on a shelf in the cool room. They will
only be handled with gloves
Any models that are handled with gloves or laid on a tray with a wet specimen or visibly
soiled will be cleaned with detergent and disinfectant
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Food and Drink
 Will not be permitted in the NT SOA Laboratory.
Compliance
Compliance with the above procedures is promoted by
 notices on laboratory walls
 information in NT SOA Laboratory Manual which is available at all times and regularly updated to
conform with current practice
 information in Inductions
 verbal reminders from laboratory staff
Compliance with the above procedures is monitored by
 routine and impromptu inspections
Sources
The above procedures were developed from the OSSIE Infection Tool Kit
accessed on Feb 2nd 2011 at www.health.gov.au
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