INTRODUCTION

Standard safety measures are a set of infection control practices used to prevent transmission of diseases that can be acquired by
contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin (including rashes), and mucous [Link] measures are to be used when
providing care to all individuals, whether or not they appear infectious or symptomatic
 Hand Hygiene
 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
 Needle stick and Sharps Injury Prevention
 Cleaning and Disinfection
 Respiratory Hygiene (Cough Etiquette)
 Waste Disposal
 Safe Injection Practices
DEFINITION:
Standard Safety measures are the minimum infection prevention practices that should be used in the care of all patients all of the
time. These practices are designed to both protect the healthcare worker and to prevent the healthcare worker from spreading
infections among patients.
Standard safety precautions are the basic infection prevention and control measures necessary to reduce the risk of transmission
of infectious agent from both unrecognized and unrecognized sources of infection.
ELEMENTS OF STANDARD PRECAUTION:
 Hand hygiene
 Gown
 Mask
 Face protection
 Gloves
 Safe injection practices
 Patient care equipments/devices
 Environmental control
 Textile and laundry
 Worker safety
 Patient placement and transport
 Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette
 Infection control practices for lumbar puncture
TYPES OF SAFETY MEASURES:
TYPES OF SAFETY
• Normative safety - Normative safety is a term used to describe products or designs that meet applicable design standards.
• Substantive safety - Substantive or objective safety means that the real-world safety history is favorabic,whether or not
standards are met
• Perceived safety- Perceived or subjective safety refers to the level of comfort of users. For example, tallic signals are
perceived as safe, yet under some circumstances, they can increase traffic crashes at an intersection.
SAFETY MEASURES:
Safety measuresare activities and precautions taken to improve safety, i.e. reduce risk related to human [Link] safety
measures include:
1. Root cause analysis:
Root cause analysis (RCA) is the process of discovering the root causes of problems in order to identify appropriate solutions.
RCA assumes that it is much more effective to systematically prevent and solve for underlying issues rather than just treating ad
hoc symptoms and putting out fires.
2. Visual examination for dangerous situations:
Visual Inspection, or Visual Testing (VT), is the oldest and most basic method of inspection. It is the process of looking over a
piece of equipment using the naked eye to look for flaws. It requires no equipment except the naked eye of a trained inspector.
3. Visual examination for flaws such as cracks. peeling, loose connections:
While lack of maintenance can result in moisture infiltration into the exterior wall, eventually causing cracks, peeling paint, and
other problems
4. Safety margins Safety factors:
margin of safety a calculation that takes the highest animal no observed adverse effect level and estimates a maximum safe level
of exposure for humans.
5. Implementation of standard protocols and procedures:
Standards provide organization-specific, quantifiable requirements for cybersecurity and data protection; Procedures (also
known as Control Activities) establish the defined practices or steps that are performed to meet to implement standards and
satisfy controls / control objectives.
6. Training of employees, vendors, product users:
Training of employees takes place after orientation takes place. Training is the process of enhancing the skills, capabilities and
knowledge of employees for doing a particular job. Training process moulds the thinking of employees and leads to quality
performance of employees.
7. Instruction manuals:
the purpose of an instruction manual is to familiarize the user with the product and/or to guide the user through a series of steps
that lead to the completion of a task. However, each instruction manual will also have a more specific outcome.
8. Instructional videos:
A video lesson or lecture is a video which presents educational material for a topic which is to be learned. The format may vary.
Such lectures are a key part of flip teaching in which the initial work of communicating the essentials of the topic is done by
the video lesson.
9. Examination of activities by specialists:
Physical examination is the process of evaluating objective anatomic findings through the use of observation, palpation,
percussion, and auscultation.
STANDARD SAFETY MEASURES IN HOSPITAL
. Physical health and environment
• Bio medical waste management
• Standard precautions
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Aim: to provide an environment favourable to recovery
1. Promote comfort
2. Extermination and control of vermin and animal pets
3. Dangers - Preventing mechanical injury - Preventing shocks and burns from electrical fixtures -Prevention of fire - Protection
from chemical injury
BIO MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
"any solid, fluid or liquid waste, including its container and anyintermediateproduct, which is generated during the diagnosis,
treatment orimmunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining there to or in the production or testing of
biological and the animal waste from slaughterhouses or any other like establishments".
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
The tenets of Standard Precautions are that all patients are colonized or infected with microorganisms, whether or not there are
signs or symptoms, and that a uniform level of should be used in the care of all patients.
PPE(PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTS)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to assess the risk of exposure to body substances or contaminated surfaces before
any health-care activity.
• Select PPÉ based on the assessment of risk:
-clean non-sterile gloves
- clean, non-sterile fluid-resistant gown
- mask and eye protection or a face shield.
CLASSIFICATION OF WASTE CATEGORY
Cat-1 Human Anatomical Wastes
Cat-2 Animal Anatomical Wastes
Cat- 3 Microbiology and Biotechnology wastes
Cat- 4 Waste Sharps
Cat- 5 Discarded medicines and Cytotoxic drugs
Cat-6 Soiled wastes include items contaminated with blood, body fluids such as cotton, dressings, linen, beddings etc.
Cat- 7 Solid wastes i.e. waste generated from disposable items other than sharps such as tubing, catheters, IV sets.
Cat- 8 Liquid wastes ( washing, cleaning )
Cat- 9 Incineration ash
Cat- 10 Chemical wastes ( disinfectants, insecticides)
COLOR CODING FOR SEGGREGATION OF BMW:
YELLOW
Human & Animal anatomical waste / Micro-biology waste and soiled cotton/dressings/linen/beddings etc.
Process of segration: Incineration and Deep burial
RED - Tubing's Catheters. IV sets,
Process of segration - Autocliving / Microwaving / Chemical treatment
BLUE-Waste sharps Needles, Syringes. Scalpels, blades etc.)
Process of segration - Auto claving Microwaving / Chemical treatment & Destruction/Shredding
BLACK- Discarded medicines/cytotoxic drugs. Incineration [Link] waste,
Process of segration:- Disposal insecured landfill
PUNCTURE PROOF CAN
Process of segration:- chemical disinfectants/autoclaving folowed by shredding/mutation.
Principles of Control of Hazards of Biomedical Waste in HealthCare Establishment:
 Each institution should develop its own bio waste management policy and ensure that the health care workers are
adequately trained to handle biological waste.
 Measures such as universal safety precautions, hand washing and proper segregation of waste material should be
encouraged.
 Rationale patient management policy should be followed and admissions restricted to those for whom it is felt absolutely
necessary.
 Proper house-keeping is essential and the hospital premises should be kept clean and [Link] of disinfectants
should be rationalized.
Steps in the Management of Biomedical Waste :
1. Survey of waste generated.
2. Segregation of hospital waste
3. Collection & Categorization of waste.
 4. Storage of waste. Not beyond 48 hrs. )
5. Transportation of waste.
6. Treatment of waste.
Hand Hygiene Techniques:
I. Alcohol hand rub
2. Routine hand wash 10-15 seconds
3. Aseptic procedures 1 minute
4. Surgical wash 3-5 minutes
ROUTINE HAND WASH
Repeat procedures until hands are clean
Hand Care
• Nails(Rings)
• hand creams
• Cuts & abrasions
• Chapping
• Skin Problems
GOWNING AND APRON:
Wear to protect skin and prevent soiling of clothing during activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body
fluids, secretions, or excretions.
Remove soiled gown as soon as possible, and perform hand hygiene.
FACIAL PROTECTION (EYES, NOSE, AND MOUTH) :
When the health care provider is involved in an activity in which body fluids may be sprayed or splashed, appropriate barriers
must be used. If a splash to the face may occur, goggles and facemask are warranted.
GLOVING:
 Wear when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, mucous membranes, non-intact skin.
 Change between tasks and procedures on the same patient after contact with potentially infectious material.
 Remove after use, before touching non-contaminated items and surfaces, and before going to another patient.
 Perform hand hygiene immediately after removal.
PATIENT CARE EQUIPMENTS:
 Handle equipment soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions in a manner that prevents skin and mucous
membrane exposures,contamination of clothing, and transfer of pathogens to other patients or the environment.
 Clean, disinfect, and reprocess reusable equipment appropriately before use with another patient.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLAND CLEANING :
Use adequate procedures for the routine cleaning and disinfection of environmental and other frequently touched surfaces.
TEXTILE AND LAUNDRY:
Key principles for handling soiled laundry:
- not shaking the items
- avoiding contact of one’s body and personal clothing.
- Dispose soiled items in water soluble bag.
- Dispose non soiled items in blue bag.
PATIENT PLACEMENT AND TRANSPORT:
Determine patient placement based on:
- Route(s) of transmission of the known/suspected infectious agent,availability of single rooms and options for cohorting
(patients with the same pathogen in the same room)
- Patients with higher risk for pathogen transmission are prioritize to be admitted in a single room(e.g, uncontained secretions,or
wound drainage)
 Healthcare worker transporting a patient with missible infection should contain the site of infection (e.g apply a dressing
over a surgical site infection & offer a surgical mask for a coughing patient.
SAFE WORK PRACTICE:
 Prevention of needle sticks and other sharps related injuries.
 Precautions during aerosol-generating procedures.
 Prevention of mucous membrane contact
RESPIRATORY HYGIENE AND ETTIQUETES:
 Persons with respiratory symptoms should apply source control measures:
 Cover their nose and mouth when coughing/sneezing with tissue or mask, dispose of used tissues and masks, and perform
hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions.
PATIENT CARE EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTS/ DEVICES:
 All patient care equipments that is soiled with blood, body fluids,secretions or excretions shall be handled in a manner that
will prevent skin and mucous membrane exposures.
 Wear PPE(e.g. gloves, gown) according to the level of anticipated contamination, when handling patient care equipment
and instruments/devices that are visibly soiled or may have been in contact with blood or body fluids .
 Remove organic material from critical and semi- critical instrument/devices,using recommended cleaning agents before
high level disinfection and sterilization to enable effective disinfection and sterilization processes.
 Single use,disposable items must be disposed of properly.
 Make sure that reusable equipment has been cleaned and reprocessed appropriately,prior to use on another patient.
TRANSMISSION-BASED PRECAUTIONS (TBP)
Transmission-based precautions (TBPs) are used in addition to standard precautions when standard precautions alone may be
insufficient to prevent transmission of infection.
TBPs are used for patients known or suspected to be infected or colonized with epidemiological important or highly
transmissible pathogens that can transmit or cause infection. TBPs are not required for patients with blood borne viruses, such as
HIV, hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus.
The type of TBPs applied is based upon the mode of transmission of the pathogen. For diseases that have multiple routes of
transmission, more than one TBP category is applied.
The following are the routes of transmission.
- Airborne transmission, e.g., pulmonary tuberculosis, chickenpox, measles
- Droplet transmission, e.g., influenza, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella
- Contact transmission (direct or indirect), e.g., viral gastroenteritis, Clostridium difficile, MRSA, scabies
NURSES MANAGEMENT:
Nursing staff is responsible for implementing patient care practices. Therefore, they should be familiar with practices to prevent
the occurrence and spread of infections.
The senior nursing administration is responsible for:
1. Participating in the Infection Control Committee.
2. Promoting that development and improvement of nursing techniques. They should constantly review aseptic nurse policies
with approval by the Infection Control Committee.
3. Developing training programs for members of the nursing staff.
4. Supervision the implementation of techniques for prevention of infections in specialized areas such as the operation theatre
ICU, maternity unit and newborns.
5. Monitoring of nursing adherence to policies.
The nurse in-charge of ward is responsible for:
Maintaining the hygiene consistent with the hospital policies and good nursing practices in the ward.
2. Monitoring aseptic techniques, including hand washing, use of isolation.
3. Promptly reporting an evidence of infection to the attending physician.
4. Initiating patient isolation, and ordering culture specimens from any patient showing signs of a communicable disease when
the physician is not immediately available.
5. Limiting the patient exposure to infections, visitors, hospital staff, other patients or equipment, used for diagnosis or treatment
6. Maintaining a safe and adequate supply of ward equipment, drugs and patient care supplies.
The nurse in-charge of infection is a member of the infection control team and is responsible for:
[Link] noso-comial infections.
2. Investigation of the type of infection and infecting organism.
3. Participating in training of the personnel.
4. Surveillance of hospital infections.
5. Participating in investigation of outbreak.
6. Development of infection control policy and review and approval of patient care policies relevant to infection control.
7. Ensuring compliance to local and natural regulations.
8. Providing expert advice in matters relating to transmission of infections.
CONCLUSION:
Standard precautions are the work practices required to achieve a basic level of infection prevention and control and
Transmission-based precautions are used when standard precautions alone are not sufficient to prevent the spread of an
infectious agent.