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Employees’ roles and responsibilities in relation to the prevention and control of infection

Working in social care involves contact with people who may be infected and those who are more prone to various infections. To prevent cross infection (infection which spread from one person to another) it is important to take precautions such as: • Wear gloves – any occasion when contact with body fluids (body waste, blood, mucus, sputum, sweat or vomit), rash, pressure sore, wound, bleeding or broken skin, clear up spills of body fluids or have to deal with soiled linen or dressings • Wash your hands – before and after any contact with person or with body fluids, soiled linen or clinical waste; wash your hands even you have worn gloves, before and after shift, before eating, after using toilet, coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose • Wear apron – when you contact with another person, body waste or fluid • Clean equipment – such as medical instruments, linen, any reusable equipment • Deal with waste – to reduce the risk of spreading infection on others working further along the line in the disposal process • Take special precaution – sometimes special procedures must be follow when dealing with highly infectious disease or food poisoning • Tie up hair when necessary to reduce spreading infection, • Keep food safety– follow basic hygiene procedures, store and prepare food in clean environment, check the expiration date before cooking • Move and handle equipment and people safety to reduce any injuries or accidents • Know how to handle hazardous substances and materials –every work place must have COSHH file (it lists all hazardous substances used in the workplace ), which should be easily accessible to all staff and it should detail: where they kept, how they are labelled, their effects, the maximum amount of time it is safe to be exposed to them, how to deal with an emergency involving one of them • Know