Work Practice and Engineering Controls

In this lesson, we're going to take a closer look at work practice controls, administrative controls, and engineering controls, so that you can have a deeper understanding of not only what they are, but why they're important.

Work Practice Controls

A work practice control is any measure that reduces the likelihood of being exposed to blood or other pathogens by changing the way a task is carried out.

Administrative Controls

Administrative controls are changes in work procedures such as written safety policies, rules, supervision, schedules, and training with the goal of reducing the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure to hazardous chemicals or situations.

Administrative controls include the completion of all relevant training, any and all legal requirements that must be met and adhered to, and all the policies and procedures related to infection control at your workplace.

Engineering Controls

An engineering control measure is one that eliminates, isolates, or removes a hazard from the workplace; things used in the workplace to help reduce the risk of an exposure.

Engineering controls include:

• Sharps disposal containers
• Needle containment devices
• Other safety devices that prevent handlers from getting cut or poked

Examples of Workplace, Administrative, and Engineering Controls

This list is in no way meant to be a complete accounting of all controls, but rather to give you a good idea of what workplace, administrative, and engineering controls look like in the workplace.

1. Food, drink, etc. You shouldn't eat, drink, smoke, apply cosmetics, or handle contact lenses in any and all work areas where there exists the possibility of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials.
2. Trash disposal. When disposing of any trash that contains contaminated materials, do not compress the trash with your hand. Also, when carrying contaminated materials for disposal, be sure to carry the trash away from your body in case of spillage.
3. Environment and work surfaces. All equipment and surfaces in your work environment should be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated after all contact with blood, other body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials.
4. Contaminated sharp objects. When dealing with contaminated needles and other sharp objects (routinely shortened to just sharps) there are certain guidelines to follow, such as not using bent needles, recapping needles, or trying to remove questionable needles. All needles and sharps must also be placed into appropriate sharps containers immediately after use.
5. Warning labels. Warning labels should be affixed to all regulated waste and other containers that are used to store, transport, or ship other potentially infected materials. Labels must be fluorescent orange or red, or at least predominantly orange or red, to indicate a possible threat, along with lettering and symbols in a contrasting color.
6. Personal protective equipment. All employees must be provided with personal protective equipment by their employer and at no cost to the employee. Examples of PPE include:
   a. Gloves – Wear gloves whenever the potential exists of touching blood, bodily fluids, or other potentially contaminated items.
   b. CPR shields and protective eyewear – Use these items when there's a likelihood of blood and OPIM being secreted or splashed.
   c. Gowns – Wear a gown when the potential exists of getting blood and other bodily fluids on any clothing or exposed skin.
   d. Masks and respirators – Use whenever there's a potential risk of coming into contact with airborne infectious diseases.

Cleaning Rather than Disposing?

If you are tasked with laundering contaminated items – like reusable gowns – rather than disposing of them, make sure you follow your facility's specific procedures for cleaning and handling these items.

General laundry procedures will include:

• Wearing personal protective equipment whenever handling contaminated laundry
• Keeping contaminated laundry separate from non-contaminated laundry
• Bagging potentially contaminated laundry in the same area in which it was used, rather than transporting it elsewhere to bag
• Using leak-proof bags for wet contaminated laundry
• Transporting contaminated laundry in properly labeled bags, especially when shipping it to an offsite facility

A Work Practice Cheat Sheet

As you now know, work practice controls reduce the likelihood of exposure by changing the way a task is carried out, which helps reduce the risk of an exposure incident.

This cheat sheet is not meant to be complete, however these are some of the more common controls you'll likely face.

1. Place all sharps items in puncture-resistant, leak-proof containers that are both labeled and available at the point of use.
2. Avoid splashing, spraying, and splattering droplets of blood or OPIM when performing all procedures.
3. Remove and dispose of soiled protective clothing as soon as possible.
4. Clean and disinfect all equipment and work surfaces that may have been soiled by blood or OPIM.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after being exposed to any potentially contaminated materials and be sure the sink is not located in a food preparation area.
6. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when handwashing facilities are not available.
7. Do not eat, drink, smoke, apply cosmetics or lip balm, handle contact lenses, or touch your mouth, nose, or eyes when you are in an area where you may be exposed to infectious materials.