Bloodborne Pathogens Introduction Video
Have you ever been sick with a cold or flu? Have you ever had to stay home from work or school because you were coughing and sneezing so much you felt like you were going to spread your germs to others and get them sick? Just about everyone has had to stay home because they were sick.
What if there was a way to never get sick again? If I could stop myself from getting sick or reduce the risk of getting sick I could always go to work and school. I would not have to call in sick or tell my manager or teachers I can not come to school.
When you sneeze or cough germs come out of the body. The germs from the saliva in a person's mouth or the snot in a persons nose are called bodily fluids. The germs from the bodily fluids spread. For example, the germs may get on the desk, the chair, the pencils, a door, a marker or anything that is next to you or around. The germs may even get onto another person's body.
Germs can also be in our blood. That is why they are called bloodborne pathogens. Pathogens are the same as germs. Bloodborne pathogens training wants to help you understand how to stop germs in the blood from going from one person's body to another person's body. When germs go from one person to a second person this means the germs are transmitted. Bloodborne pathogens training helps people understand more about how germs get from one person to a second person.
When a person is sick and goes to see a doctor. The doctor will look for different types of germs. If you were ever tested for covid-19 the nurses put a swab in the person's mouth or nose to collect material from inside the persons nose and mouth. Then someone looks through a microscope at the person's bodily fluid from the mouth and nose to see if the person has an infection. If the person is infected that means the person is sick and that the doctor knows exactly what is making the person feel sick. If a person is sick with something, that usually means the person is infected. But not always.
If a person works at a job with a lot of people the risk of getting sick is higher. This means a person could get sick more frequently than a person who does not work with a lot of people. When I was a cashier I got sick a lot because I had to work close to people all day. There were hundreds of people walking by me every day and many of them were infected. Some people did not feel sick but still gave me their germs. There germs were on the food they were buying at the store. When I scanned the food and clothes, I touched the germs and then the germs got into my body. The germs were transmitted to me.
What could I do to stop or prevent the germs from getting onto my body or into my mouth and nose? I could wear a mask to prevent transmission. I could wear latex free disposable gloves to lower the risk of getting sick. I could was my hands or find a different job where I didn't have to be exposed to so many gross germs. Yuck!
Wash your hands to protect yourself! Wear a mask to prevent the spread or transmission of airborne diseases! Do not get sick.
Bloodborne Pathogens Introduction Video
Welcome to the American red cross bloodborne pathogens training course. Here you will learn how to prevent disease transmission through blood and other potentially infectious material. Let's begin with some background information. Bloodborne pathogens are disease causing microorganisms that are present in human blood or other potentially infectious materials. BBP can spread when blood from an infected person enters the bloodstream of a person who is not infected. In the workplace the primary concerns are Hep B, Hep C, HIV because infection from any of these viruses can have serious long term effects on a persons health. Despite the health effects there is no way to tell if a person is carrying a bloodborne virus just by looking at him or her. In fact an estimated 4.4 million are living with chronic viral hepatitis and most do not even know they are infected. Because of this it is crucial to take appropriate preventative measures when handling blood or other potentially infectious materials. People from many occupations may be at increased risk to exposure to BBP while at work. Fortunately, OSHA requires employers to take appropriate measures to protect at risk employees from on the job exposure to BBP including training courses such as this. However the responsibility of lowering the risk of on the job exposure is not only the responsibility of the employer. Employees must also take responsibility for their own health and safety this course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to protect yourself and others from contracting a disease on the job.