SCC Health and Safety
Children and Learning Information Sheet 45
INFECTION CONTROL PROCEDURES
FOR BLOOD AND BODY FLUIDS
1.
Personal Hygiene
2.
First Aid
3.
General Hygiene
4.
Disposal of Waste
5.
Further information/Links
The following hygiene precautions are recommended as safe practice for all local
authority staff and for all those who care for children. These are common sense
precautions that will protect against blood borne viruses and other infections that
may be transmitted via blood and body fluids.
They should be incorporated as standard practice in all settings at all times.
STANDARD INFECTION CONTROL PRECAUTIONS
• Always keep cuts or broken skin covered with waterproof dressings;
• Avoid direct skin contact with blood or body fluids;
• If blood is splashed onto the skin, it should be washed off immediately with soap and
water. Splashes of blood into the eyes or mouth should be washed immediately with
plenty of water;
• If a sharps injury is sustained or blood is splashed into the eyes or mouth, or on to
non-intact skin (e.g. eczema) medical advice should be sought promptly
 Wear disposable gloves when contact with blood or body fluids is likely;
• Always wash and dry hands after removing gloves;
• Always wash and dry your hands before and after giving first aid;
• Teach children about avoiding contact with other people’s blood as soon as they are
able to understand how to protect themselves;
• Teach children to wash and dry their hands before meals and after using the toilet.
• Spillages should be contained by using disposable wipes or paper towels to clean the
affected area. Areas should then be thoroughly cleaned with detergent and water,
followed by a hypochlorite solution (i.e. Milton). Ensure areas are well ventilated when
hypochlorite solutions are used.
Issued by:
SCC County Health and Safety Unit - 01823 355089
Version:
Number 3
Date: 4 March 2015
SCC Health and Safety
Children and Learning Information Sheet 45
1. Personal hygiene
o
o
o
o
Razors, toothbrushes or other implements, which could become contaminated
with blood, must not be shared. Dispose of these implements if there is a risk
of/have been contaminated.
Minor cuts, open or weeping skin lesions and abrasions should be covered with
waterproof or other suitable dressings, once the wound has been cleaned.
Sanitary towels must be burnt in an incinerator or the procedure for disposal of
infected waste followed (see below).
Tampons may be flushed down the toilet.
2. First aid
2.1
Accidents involving external bleeding:
o
o
o
2.2
Splashes of blood from one child on to another:
o
o
2.3
Normal first aid procedures should be followed, which should include the use of
disposable gloves where possible (NOTE: some persons may be allergic to latex
gloves)
Wash the wound immediately and copiously with water; apply a suitable dressing
and pressure pad if needed
Seek medical advice as soon as possible if there is any doubt.
Splashes of blood on the skin should be washed off immediately with soap and
water
Splashes of blood into the eyes or mouth should be washed out immediately with
copious amounts of water.
Resuscitation
o
o
o
Where staff are trained in the use of a face shield or pocket mask for hygiene
purposes when giving resuscitation (“rescue breaths”) then they should use it. If
a first aider does not have a mask or shield with them, they should not hesitate to
give rescue breaths.
The advice given in the authorised first aid manual of the first aid providers
should be followed
Record the details on a Data Collection form for input on the EEC website
‘Accident Reporting’ module.
3. General hygiene
o
o
o
Normal cleaning methods should be used; no special disinfectants are necessary
for either the bath or toilet
Use disposable cloths/paper towels
Separate cloths should be used for the kitchen, the bathroom and the toilet.
3.1 Note on the use of chlorine based sterilizing agents
o
Agents such as domestic bleach or Milton’s Fluid (sodium hypochlorite solution)
“bleach tablets” (calcium hypochlorite) or NADCC granules (sodium
dichloroisocynarate) work by the release of chlorine.
Issued by:
SCC County Health and Safety Unit - 01823 355089
Version:
Number 3
Date: 4 March 2015
SCC Health and Safety
o
o
Children and Learning Information Sheet 45
Agents such as those described above require the completion of a COSHH
assessment as instructed by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations 2002.
When using agents to clean spillages etc., the COSHH assessment should be
consulted as some agents may damage surfaces or need to be applied under
specific conditions. Further guidance on hazardous substances and completing a
COSHH assessment can be obtained from the Hazardous Substances policy.
3.2 Cleaning spillages of blood or body fluids
o
o
o
Household grade gloves and a disposable plastic apron should be worn when
cleaning splashes or spillages. Eye protection should be considered if there is a
risk of splashing. Gloves should be washed with neutral detergent and hot water
after use.
Hands should always be washed and dried on removal of gloves.
Use gel granules, (e.g. ‘Sanitaire’ Emergency Clean up) when removing vomit.
.
4. Disposal of waste (Appendix A)
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Paper towels, together with gloves and aprons, should be put into a
plastic waste sack prior to disposal, the top tied and placed in a household waste
bag for collection.
Waste such as sanitary towels, nappies, tampons and incontinence pads
should be wrapped adequately in newspaper to soak up excess fluid prior
to disposal in a household waste bag.
Vomit, urine and faeces should be flushed down the toilet. Potties and
Nappy-changing mats should be washed with neutral detergent and hot
water, and dried with paper towels after each use.
Where it is not possible to dispose of vomit or body waste down the toilet, the
waste should be collected using sanitary waste bags and disposed in the same way
as other sanitary waste contract arrangements the school/educational
establishment has. Surfaces such as carpets should be ‘steam cleaned’ and it is
recommended that a professional cleaner is called upon to undertake this activity.
Where there is regular generation of significant amounts of waste contaminated
with body fluids, it should be regarded as clinical waste and disposed of
appropriately. This should be via a designated clinical waste collection service.
In some individual cases, a child’s general practitioner may identify a
specific infection risk associated with their medical condition and may make
additional arrangements for disposal of waste via the local authority
This should be discussed with the general practitioner and local infection control
team or pediatric community nursing service.
5. Further advice/links
Direct link to this document is:
https://slp.somerset.org.uk/ipost/iPost%20Documents/Guidance%20for%20Schools%20%20Infection%20Control%20for%20blood%20and%20body%20fluids%20-%20info%20sheet%2045.doc
EEC Health and Safety website (for completing infection control/bodily fluids risk assessments) https://www.eeclive.co.uk/public/plogon.asp?AID=14
Form 08 – COSHH Assessment template:
http://extranet.somerset.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=36360
Health Protection Agency main website: http://www.hpa.org.uk/HPAwebHome/
Issued by:
SCC County Health and Safety Unit - 01823 355089
Version:
Number 3
Date: 4 March 2015
SCC Health and Safety
Children and Learning Information Sheet 45
Health Protection Agency - Spotty book – Infectious diseases in schools and childcare settings:
http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317133613717
Health Protection Agency – Infection control in schools and child care settings poster:
Infection control in schools and childcare settings
Norovirus Information and Letter to schools template (provided by Health Protection Agency):
https://slp.somerset.org.uk/ipost/iPost%20Documents/Advance%20Norovirus%20letter%20to%20s
chools%20October%202014.doc
SCC Hazardous Substances Policy (HS008):
http://extranet.somerset.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=35434
Viral Gastroenteritis (Norovirus) Outbreak guidance (On Somerset Learning Platform):
https://slp.somerset.org.uk/ipost/iPost%20Documents/Viral%20Gastroenteritis%20(Norovirus)%20
Outbreak%20Guidance.doc
Appendix A
Hard surfaces e.g. floor tiles, impervious table tops, baths
Small spills or splashes of blood
Large spills
Clean with neutral detergent and hot water
 Remove spillage as much as possible using
absorbent paper towels
 Flush these down toilet or dispose of carefully in
waste bag
 Cover remaining with paper towels soaked in
diluted bleach solution (1:10 dilution with cold
water)
 Leave for up to 30 minutes, and then clear
away.
Alternatively, large spills may be covered with
sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NADCC) granules for
two minutes. Spillage and granules should be
carefully removed with paper towels and disposed
carefully into waste bag.
 Clean area with neutral detergent and hot
water.
Note 1: chlorine will be released when NADCC granules are used - it is important that the
area is well ventilated. These granules should not be used on spillages of urine
Note 2: chlorine based agents are likely to damage carpets, fabrics, metal and wood and
should not be used on these surfaces
Soft surfaces and fabrics e.g.
carpets and chairs




Remove the spillage as far as possible using
absorbent paper towels,
Then clean with a fresh solution of neutral
detergent and water.
Carpets and upholstery can then be cleaned
using cleaner of choice.
Steam cleaning may be considered.
Issued by:
SCC County Health and Safety Unit - 01823 355089
Version:
Number 3
Date: 4 March 2015
SCC Health and Safety
Crockery and cutlery
Linen and clothing
Children and Learning Information Sheet 45

Crockery and cutlery can be cleaned in the
normal way either by hand washing with
detergent or in a dish washer
1. Household gloves and cold running water should
be used to remove soil prior to washing if
necessary, and any solid matter (i.e. faeces and
vomit) should be flushed down the toilet
2. Wash in a domestic machine at the highest
temperature the fabric can withstand.
3. In residential/day care/special schools it is
recommended that an industrial washing
machine be used. Soiled linen/clothing does not
need to be sluiced in this instance with a sluice
prewash programme.
4. Care should be taken to avoid splashing body
fluids into the mouth or eyes.
Issued by:
SCC County Health and Safety Unit - 01823 355089
Version:
Number 3
Date: 4 March 2015