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HEALTH
CONSIDERATIONS
e want to provide you • Your eyes or any other mucous yourself and to prevent the spread
W with a safe and secure membrane, like those in your of germs and diseases. These
environment. An important part nose, ears or mouth, or an area items are called Personal Protective
of meeting that goal is to provide of broken skin comes into direct Equipment or PPE. They include:
you with the training you need contact with infectious blood or •Rubber (Latex) Disposable Gloves
regarding safe work practices. bodily fluid. •Face Masks
Some of the tasks or procedures •Protective Eye Wear
you might perform on a daily basis Public restrooms are obviously an •Disinfectants and cleaning supplies
could possibly lead to a risk of area where human bodily fluids •Blood Borne Pathogen Kits
exposure to certain blood borne can be found. Therefore, it is very
pathogens or other disease. The important to keep the restrooms as When you use PPE, whether in
following is a list of those tasks or clean as possible. When cleaning the situations already discussed or
procedures: restrooms, you should always wear at any other time, you must also
latex disposable gloves to protect follow certain safety procedures.
• Housekeeping: Cleaning yourself.
Restrooms Let’s take a look at these universal
precautions.
• Mattress and Upholstery In addition, picking up contaminated
merchandise and refurbishing it,
Sanitization including sanitization of upholstery WASHING YOUR HANDS
• Picking Up Contaminated or mattresses, could also possibly Washing your hands frequently is
Merchandise lead to exposure. To keep yourself generally one of the best ways to
• Administering First Aid Treatment safe never reach blindly into a sofa keep yourself healthy. However,
or chair when cleaning to avoid when you are exposed to potentially
BLOOD BORNE PATHOGENS any sharp objects or contaminated infectious materials, even with
First, it is important to understand needles that may have been left gloves on, hand washing becomes
what a blood borne pathogen is. behind by the previous customer. critical.
Blood borne pathogens are viruses Finally, when a situation needing Wash your hands immediately or
that are carried in human blood first aid happens, you must exercise as soon as possible after removing
and/or other bodily fluids. They can extreme care to avoid exposure. your gloves or any other PPE. Use
infect and cause disease in humans. If the blood of the person in these hand washing steps:
Examples of blood borne pathogens distress comes in contact with an
are Human Immunodeficiency Virus uncovered cut on your hand or your • Use soap and warm water
(HIV) and Hepatitis B and C (HBV or nose, mouth or eyes, you could be • Scrub your hand for 10-15 seconds
HCV). • Be sure to get under your nails
exposed to blood borne pathogens and between your fingers
Blood Borne Pathogens can be by direct contact. Wearing gloves, • Rinse well and dry with a clean
transferred to you from another keeping any cuts covered, and using towel
person in two main ways: the correct equipment will help you
avoid exposure. Wearing disposable latex gloves
• You can get stuck with a needle is one way you can avoid direct
or other sharp object that was WHAT TOOLS DO YOU HAVE? contact with a potentially infectious
previously used by an infected material (more about disposable
person. Your Rent-A-Center franchisee
should supply you with the tools latex gloves on the next page).
you need to help protect
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