Infectious Disease Guide

Guide to
Prevention and Control of

Infectious Diseases in the Workplace
2007
A Joint Initiative
BC Government and BC Public Service Agency

Service Employees’ Union
Acknowledgements
This booklet has been developed from the combined efforts of:
The BC Public Service Agency

Corporate Health and Safety, represented by:
Dianne Casper, OHS Advisor (Pre April 2003)
Richard Golob, OHS Advisor
Occupational Health Programs, represented by:

Maraleen Buchanan, OHN (Pre April 2003)
Joyce Tobo, OHN
BC Government and Services Employees Union

Represented by:
Mona Sykes, OHS Officer
Thanks to Lori Strom for her time in reviewing content
Consultant:
Ross Occupational Hygiene Consulting
Information contained within this guide was current at the time of publication. This document
will be reviewed annually and updated as required.
Table of Contents
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Who should read this guide?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Definitions and Common Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 How to Develop an Infection Prevention and Control Program . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.1 Who Needs an Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP)? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Who is responsible in my Ministry to Develop an IPCP? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 Infection Prevention and Control Program Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Requirements of the Responsibilities Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.5 Requirements of the Risk Identification and Risk Assessment Section . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.5.1 How to Complete the Risk Identification process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.5.2 Identifying Infectious Disease hazard group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.5.3 Identifying Job Tasks and Job Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.5.4 What is the Purpose of the Risk Assessment?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.5 How to Complete the Risk Assessment Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5.6 Choose a Rating for the Consequence Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5.7 What does the Risk Assessment Rating mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.6 How to develop an Exposure Control Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.6.1 What information is helpful to develop exposure control plans? . . . . . . . . 19
2.7 What should be in the Education and Training, Health Protection, Records
and Program Evaluation Sections of the IPCP.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.8 Infection Prevention and Control Program Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.9 WCB Regulation Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3 Health Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.2 Vaccinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.3 Hepatitis B Pre-Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.4 Hepatitis B Post-Exposure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.5 Procedures for Hepatitis B Vaccinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.6 Payment for Vaccination Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.7 Post-Vaccination Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.8 Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure – Post Exposure Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.9 Reporting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.10 First Aid Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.11 Medical Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.12 Medical Treatment and Referral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.13 Post Exposure HIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.14 Post Exposure Hepatitis B & C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.15 Records and Documenting Exposures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.16 Standard Precaution Controls for Bloodborne Pathogens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.17 Personal Hygiene – General Considerations for all Workplaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.18 Personal Hygiene – Specific Facilities Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.19 Housekeeping Practices – General Considerations for all Workplaces . . . . . . . . . 35
4 Safe work procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

4.1 Developing your own safe work procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2 Sample safe work procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2.1 Sharps Disposal Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2.2 How to pick up a needle using a One-Needle container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.2.3 Clean-up and disinfecting minor blood spills and other body fluids . procedure
40
4.2.4 Clean-up and disinfecting major blood spills procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.2.5 Removing Medical disposable gloves Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.2.6 Hand Washing Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4.2.7 Garbage Handling Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.2.8 Laundry Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.2.9 Labels and Disposal of Material Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.2.10Gardening and outside work procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5 Infectious Diseases and Health Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5.1 Putting Occupational Exposure Risk into Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2 Blood Borne Pathogens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2.1 Health Effects of Hepatitis B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2.2 Health Effects of Hepatitis C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.2.3 Health Effects of HIV/AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3 Respiratory Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.3.1 Health Effects of Tuberculosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.4 Animal Vectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5.4.1 Health Effects of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5.4.2 Health Effects of Rabies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
5.4.3 Health Effects of Lyme Disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5.4.4 Health Effects of Cryptosporidiosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5.4.5 Health Effects of Giardiasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
6 Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Appendix 1 – The BCGEU Master Agreement Article 22.12 contains provisions
regarding “Communicable Diseases”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Appendix 2 – Relevant sections of Section 5 and 6 of the Workers’ Compensation
Board of British Columbia Occupational Health and Safety Regulation . . . . . . . 72
Appendix 3 – Provincial Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee
approved Facilities, Job Classifications and Job tasks related to infectious diseases. . . . . . . 75
Appendix 4 – Infection Prevention and Control Program for Ministry-Branch-Workplace 77
Appendix 5 – Risk Identification Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Appendix 6 – Example Risk Identification Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Appendix 7 – Risk Identification Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Appendix 8 – Example Risk Assessment Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Appendix 9 – Risk Assessment Score Table for Infectious Diseases
(Likelihood X Frequency X Consequence). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Appendix 10 – Exposure Control Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Appendix 11 – Exposure Control Plan Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Appendix 12 – Accidental Exposure First Aid Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Appendix 13 – Confirmation of Vaccination Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Appendix 14 – Hepatitis B Vaccination Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Appendix 15 – Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Appendix 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Appendix 17 – References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Guide to Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in the Workplace
1.1 Introduction
This guide was developed as a joint venture of the BC Public Service Agency, Government
of British Columbia and the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union. The objective
of this booklet is to provide the workplace with prevention and control measures that will
assist in protecting employees from anticipated occupational exposure to infectious diseases
in the workplace.
Most people generally have a low risk of contracting a serious infectious disease in the course
of their everyday life. It is recognized that Public Service employees in some occupations may
have an increased risk of contracting an infectious disease as a result of various risk factors
while at work or because of the nature of the job duties or work environment.
Infection prevention and control is not a stand alone program. It is just one segment of a
ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Program. Policies and procedures relating to
infection control should be consistent with the rest of the ministry’s Occupational Health
and Safety Program.
General awareness and education is essential for

assisting employees to understand potential
exposure to infectious diseases, how they are
transmitted, and know what to do if an accidental
exposure does occur in the workplace.
That’s where this Guide comes in . . .
1
1.2 Who should read this guide?

This booklet is for all managers, supervisors, employees and Joint Health and Safety
committees of the BC Public Service where potential occupational exposure to blood or body
fluids and other infectious diseases may occur through normal job activities or from an
unexpected accidental exposure.
Are you aware of co-workers involved with these job activities and possibly exposed to
some of these infectious diseases?
> First aid
HIV virus
> Health care Hepatitis B and C
> Law enforcement or corrections virus
Rabies
> Wilderness work areas
Hantavirus
> Animal contact “Beaver Fever”
This Guide is intended to serve several functions:

> How to develop an Infection Prevention and Control Program specific to your needs
> Inform employees about potential exposure to infectious diseases and how to prevent
infection
> What to do if an exposure occurs
What does this guide cover?

> When an infection prevention and control program is required
> Identifies potential infectious hazards associated with occupations and tasks in our
workplaces
> How to get vaccinations, post exposure health management and medical monitoring
> Education of the health effects associated with infection
> What to do if an exposure occurs
> How to conduct a risk identification investigation and risk assessment using the provided tools
> Recommends effective procedures to prevent exposure to infectious diseases
> Educates employees on occupational risk
> What types of records should be kept and how to use them
> Where to go for more information
This Guide will help the ministry’s managers, supervisors, employees and Joint Health and
Safety committees to:
> Understand basic terms and concepts relating to infectious diseases
> Understand health effects and how infectious diseases are spread at the workplace
> Develop and implement a plan to eliminate or minimize the risk of exposure
2
This material will provide compliance with Article 22.12 of the Master Agreement
(Appendix 1) and the Workers’ Compensation Board of BC Occupational Health and
Safety Regulation (Appendix 2).
1.3 Definitions and Common Terms

The Guide uses common terms and definitions that may not be familiar to everyone.
However, these terms are commonly used in describing infectious diseases by public health
and other medical authorities. Additional terms are listed in the Glossary (Appendix 15).
Biohazardous materials: means a pathogenic organism, including a bloodborne

pathogen, which due to its known or reasonable ability to cause disease in
humans would be classified as a Risk Group 2, 3 or 4 as defined by the
Medical Research Council of Canada or any material contaminated by
such an organism.
Communicable disease (infectious disease): an illness due to an infectious

agent or its toxic products being transmitted directly into a healthy individual
from an infected individual or animal, or indirectly transmitted through an
intermediate animal host (vector) or inanimate environment.
Harmful contact – bloodborne pathogens: situations where an injury penetrates through intact
skin (needle stick injury), or a mucous membrane (eyes, nose or mouth); or non-intact skin
(cut, rash or sore) contact exposes a worker to blood or other potentially infectious material.
Infection: the entry and development or multiplication of a pathogen in the body of a living organism
and multiplies at a rate sufficient to maintain its numbers with or without disease in the host.
Infectious Disease Control: is a process to eliminate or minimize the exposure and

transmission of pathogens to prevent infection.
Infection Prevention and Control Program: is a set of policies and exposure control plans
that form a comprehensive strategy to prevent and control infectious diseases in the
workplace. It is part of the broader ministry Occupational Health and Safety Program.
Occupational Exposure: is the reasonably anticipated harmful contact with blood or other
potentially infectious/biohazardous material that may result from the performance of a
worker’s duties.
Pathogen: an organism that causes disease in humans.
Universal Precautions (Standard Precautions): require that all human blood and other
potentially infectious body fluids be treated as if it were known to be infectious. Standard
precautions is the current term used in public health.
Exposure Control Plan: comprehensive safe work procedure that addresses the risk of
exposure and integrates multiple measures to control and prevent exposure. Some measures
include engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment,
training and written work procedures.
3
Work Practice Controls (Exposure Control Procedures, Administrative Controls): methods

of controlling exposure that do not require specialized equipment. Examples: wash hands for
10 minutes with warm water and soap if blood contacted skin; barricade around area with
blood spill to prevent others from walking in and spreading blood around.
2 How to Develop an Infection Prevention

and Control Program
This chapter of the Guide is to help you develop your own Infection Prevention and Control
Program so that there is a clear understanding of the contents and layout of the Program and
to achieve a common standard among ministries.
2.1 Who Needs an Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP)?

Every ministry large enough to require a designated first aid attendant will require a basic
Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP) because it is required whenever exposure
to bloodborne pathogens is anticipated. Other ministries or facilities will require extensive
Infection Prevention and Control Programs if there are many anticipated routes of contact to
blood or body fluids, contact with respiratory diseases, human or animal feces or animal bites.
Work performed by a particular area determines what is required in the IPCP. You will
require an IPCP if one or more of the following points apply to your ministry or workplace:
> WCB OH&S Regulation requires a First Aid Attendant
> Anticipated exposure to blood and body fluids
> Provincial Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee agreed to a
particular facility or job task that is at risk (Appendix 3)
> Anticipated exposure to human feces
> Anticipated prolonged work in the wilderness
> Working in a laboratory
2.2 Who is responsible in my Ministry to Develop an IPCP?

Each ministry is free to decide which organizational sub-level has responsibility for
developing the IPCP. However, facilities listed in Appendix 3 are responsible for creating a
facility specific IPCP. Supervisors who have staff with job classifications or who participate in
job tasks that match any in Appendix 3 must instigate the development of their own IPCP or
determine who is responsible in their ministry to develop the document.
2.3 Infection Prevention and Control Program Requirements

Infection Prevention and Control Programs require the following sections so that they
comply with the WCB OH&S Regulation:
> Responsibilities
> Risk Identification and Assessment
> Exposure Control Plan(s)
> Education and Training
4
> Health Protection

> Records
> Program Evaluation
To ensure there is common content among ministries and

compliance with the WCB there is a template IPCP, located in
Appendix 4 – Infection Prevention and Control Plan to simplify
the development of the Program. Customization of each section is
required to make the IPCP relevant to the workplace it is
intended for.
Since many ministries have only First Aid attendants to consider, the template IPCP only
covers First Aid attendants, but can be expanded for the more extensive requirements of
other ministries or facilities.
2.4 Requirements of the Responsibilities Section

The Responsibilities section should document the division of responsibilities within the
IPCP. This section should be modified to reflect job titles recognized by employees in the
branch or facility. Provided below are general responsibilities that are duplicated in the IPCP
template. Responsibilities in the IPCP should remain fairly general and very specific
responsibilities should be documented within an Exposure Control Plan that is part of the
Program. For example, who is responsible for restocking the first aid supplies in the first aid
room? This level of detail specific to first aid is best documented in the Designated First Aid
Attendant Exposure Control Plan.
Managers and supervisors have the responsibility to:

> Ensure the development, implementation and maintenance of the Infection
Prevention and Control Program;
> List all job classifications (occupations or job titles) and job tasks where there are risks
of exposure to infectious diseases;
> Ensure the risk identification process and risk assessments are completed and
documented;
> Ensure the development and implementation of control methods and written
procedures are completed;
> Ensure all necessary equipment/personal protective equipment (PPE) and training is
provided to employees at risk of exposure;
> Encourage eligible employees to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B;
> Maintain records as required by the program;
Record of Offer of Vaccination form documenting compliance or noncompliane to the
program on all newly hired and currently employed employees;
> Monitor the workplace to ensure that safe work procedures are followed;
> Investigate and report accidental exposures to infectious diseases;
> Consult with the local Joint OH&S committee regarding Exposure Control Plans
(ECP) and personal protective equipment (PPE) at least annually;
5
> Ensure education and training on workplace specific infectious diseases and the
exposure control plans are conducted periodically;
> Consult with the Joint Safety and Health Committee and Occupational Health
Programs on challenging issues; and,
> Report all infectious disease exposure to OH programs especially those related to TB
and blood and body fluids.
Employees:
> Follow safe work procedures to prevent or minimize the potential for exposure to
infectious disease;
> Wear personal protective equipment as required and using it as instructed;
> Utilize standard precautions in all situations where the risk of exposure to
blood and body fluids may be present;
> Participate in education and training sessions relating to the prevention of
transmission of infectious disease;
> Report incidents of exposure to infectious disease to the employer and OHP;
> Follow specified pre-and post exposure procedures in consultation with the family
physician and OHP;
> Follow proper response procedures, including clean up;
> Dispose of all sharps (e.g. used needles, broken glass, and razor blades) in sharps
containers, and;
> Obtain immediate first aid and medical treatment when required.
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee:

> Participate in developing hazard awareness at the workplace;
> Promote participation of education and training on workplace specific infectious
diseases and the exposure control plans;
> Monitor the workplace to ensure that effective safe work procedures are developed
and implemented;
> Participate in accident/incident investigations of exposures
to infectious diseases;
> Review safe work practices and make recommendations
for improvements;
> Provide recommendations regarding tools, equipment and
personal protective equipment; and,
> Participate in infection control program review.
6
2.5 Requirements of the Risk Identification and

Risk Assessment Section
The WCB requires job classifications and job tasks to be listed where a potential for workers
to be exposed to infectious diseases exists. The WCB required list will be documented in this
section of the IPCP. A summary of infectious hazards employees are potentially exposed to
will be included in the list. By adding the infectious hazard, it is easier to determine which
job classifications are at risk to one or multiple infectious hazards present in the workplace.
The following table is an example of what is expected in the Risk Identification and Risk
Assessment section for a basic IPCP. See a complete example of an IPCP in Appendix 4.
“Ministry X”
Job Classifications Task Hazard Group
Designated First Aid Attendant First aid Blood and body fluid
Under the Job Classification heading, the listed classification may be customized
to identify the actual position that performs first aid attendant duties, for
example security personnel may be responsible for first aid.
A more extensive example of a Risk Identification and Risk Assessment section is

shown below. Several job classifications have been listed with multiple tasks.
Some tasks are at risk of exposure to more than one infectious hazard, like riot
control. This Risk Identification and Risk Assessment section should not be
considered to be factual but it is used to demonstrate multiple job classifications,
tasks and infectious hazards.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, BC Corrections Branch
Job Classifications Task Hazard Group
Correctional Officer series Restraining clients Blood and body fluid
Deputy Sheriffs Searching suspects
Probation Officers Searching property
Correctional Officer series Riot control Blood and body fluid, Feces
Deputy Sheriffs
Probation Officers
Correction Officer series Direct patient care Blood and body fluid
Correction Officer series Known contact with a person Respiratory
who has active TB
7
2.5.1 How to Complete the Risk Identification process.

The next several sections walk users through the risk identification and risk assessment
process so that it meets the requirements of the WCB and agreements of the Provincial Joint
Health and Safety Committee. At the end of the process the IPCP Risk Identification and
Risk Assessment section table should be completed with the necessary Job Classifications, Job
Tasks and Hazard Group.
Risk identification requires 3 steps:

1. Identifying the hazard group(s) of concern
2. Identifying the job task(s) with exposure
3. Identifying the job classification(s) exposed
2.5.2 Identifying Infectious Disease hazard group

Table 1 lists the infectious disease hazard group that can
pose an occupational health risk. Four hazard groups were
created to simplify and categorize infectious diseases and to make the guide easier to read
and to document in the IPCP. Users of the Guide should become familiar with diseases in
each Hazard Group. To learn more about the infectious diseases listed below, see chapter 5
in this Guide.
Table 1. Infectious diseases assigned to different Hazard Groups
Hazard Groups Infectious Diseases (source)
Blood and body fluid > HIV

> Hepatitis B (human blood)
> Hepatitis C
Respiratory > Tuberculosis-TB (human lung fluid)
Animal Vector > Hantavirus (Deer mouse feces)
> Rabies (Bat saliva)
(Animal carrier required by the > Lyme Disease (Tick bites)
pathogen) > Cryptosporidiosis (Animal feces)
> Giardiasis “Beaver Fever” (Animal feces)
Laboratory MRC* Risk Groups 2, 3 and 4 not listed above. See Appendix 16
use a link
New entries to be added by Occupational Health Programs in
accordance with changes to Public Health regulations.
*Canadian Medical Research Council (MRC)
Is there a hazard group, in the table above that workers are potentially exposed to
in your workplace?
If yes, then continue to the next section.
If no, then consult with Occupational Health Programs (OHP) to discuss your exposure
concerns with them and your local joint OH&S committee.
8
Risk identification for hazard groups is an ongoing process as new diseases are constantly
emerging and being identified. Infectious diseases that are not on the list will be added by
Occupational Health Programs in accordance with changes to Public Health regulations.
2.5.3 Identifying Job Tasks and Job Classifications

The Provincial Joint OH&S Committee agreed on a number of job tasks and job
classifications that will help speed up the development of the IPCP in many cases. The
approved job tasks and job classifications are in Tables 2 and 3 below, if a job task is not
found and it is significantly different from any job task listed below, the full Risk
Identification and Risk Assessment process will have to be completed.
Job tasks and job classifications found in the tables below do not require Risk
Identification and Risk Assessment process documentation since these items
have been studied by the Provincial Joint OH&S Committee and
Occupational Health Programs. Their assessment of the risk was significant
enough to make a Province wide determination for BC Public Service
employees. However, completing the Risk Identification and Risk
Assessment documentation may help you to set priorities for developing
exposure control plans and determining resources required for the
implementation of the exposure control plans.
Table 2. Job classification and job task list agreed on by the Provincial Joint OH&S Committee.
Job Classifications Job Tasks Hazard Group
Designated first aid > Any facility that requires a Designated First Blood and body fluid
attendant Aid Attendant (per WCB OH&S Regulation)
Correctional Officer series > Restraining clients who may react in a Blood and body fluid
Deputy Sheriffs violent manner
> Searching suspects
> Searching property
> Riot control
Health Care workers > Providing direct patient care Blood and body fluid
Nurses > Handling blood, body fluids or contaminated
Activity workers materials
> Restraining patients who may react in a
violent manner
Laboratory workers > Taking blood samples Blood and body fluid
Central Supply workers > Handling blood, body fluids or contaminated Blood and body fluid
materials
Security workers > Restraining patients who may react in a Blood and body fluid
violent manner
New entries to be approved by the Provincial
Joint OH& S committee in consultation with
Occupational Health Programs
If a Job Classification and Job Task match all the requirements of your workplace, just copy
the text from the table into your IPCP Risk Identification and Risk Assessment section and
9
then it is complete. You can then skip ahead to section 2.6 “How to Develop an Exposure
Control Plan.” If it does not match, continue reading all sections.
If there are Job Tasks in Table 3 that match the duties of one or more positions at the
workplace, add them all to the IPCP Risk Identification and Risk Assessment section. This
should include union and excluded job classifications. If there is a job task that is anticipated to
be at risk of exposure and is not in Table 3 then the Risk Identification and Risk Assessment
process documentation will have to be completed for that job task and classification.
The following sections discuss how to complete the Risk Identification and Risk Assessment
documentation.
Table 3. Job Task list agreed on by the Provincial Joint OH&S Committee. Job Tasks must
be matched with Job Classifications at risk to meet the requirements of the WCB.
Determined by user Direct personal care to others Blood and body fluid
Determined by user Taking blood samples Blood and body fluid
Determined by user Providing injections or working with Blood and body fluid
intravenous supplies
Determined by user Handling blood and other body fluids or Blood and body fluid
contaminated materials
Determined by user Handling materials contaminated with Blood and body fluid
blood or body fluids
Determined by user Restraining violent patients/clients Blood and body fluid
where blood or body fluid exposure
occurs
Determined by user Direct patient care or working in a Respiratory
medical unit that has patients with
active pulmonary tuberculosis
Determined by user Known contact with a person who has Respiratory
active infectious pulmonary tuberculosis
Determined by user Working in the wilderness or frequent Animal vector
contact with wild animals or rodents
Determined by user Working in a building known to be Animal vector
infested with mice
Determined by user Trapping and/or studying animals Animal vector
Determined by user Drinking unboiled water from lakes or Animal vector
streams that have been contaminated
by infected animals
Determined by user Working outdoors in areas potentially Animal vector
infested with ticks
New entries to be approved by the
Provincial Joint OH&S Committee in
consultation with Occupational Health
ProgramsS. ***
10
Development flow chart for the

Infection Prevention and Control Program’s (IPCP)
Risk Identification (RI) and Risk Assessment (RA) section.
Required to complete RI and

RA section of an IPCP
Check Table 1 for infectious

disease of concern
Check Table 2 for the Job

YES NO Contact OHP for more information
Task and Job Classification Is the infectious disease
about infectious disease of concern
at risk of exposure to the listed in Table 1?
infectious disease
Was the Job

Task and Job NO Check Table 3 Was the Job
Classification for other Job Task found in
found in Table 2? Tasks Table 3?
NO
YES
Add Job
Classification
from workplace
Complete RI+RA section of the IPCP
that are at risk YES Required to complete RI
of exposure and RA documentation
(Appendices 6 and 8)
OPTIONAL
Complete RI+RA
documentation Ensure approval given for Job
(Appendices 6 and 8) to Task and Job Classification to be
prioritize ECP development added to RI and RA section of the
and implementation IPCP. Keep completed RI and
RA documentation with IPCP
Complete Exposure
Control Plans (ECP)
and add to IPCP
11
How to Complete the Risk Identification Documentation

To complete the Risk Identification documentation, follow the steps below:
Photocopy or print:
> Appendix 5 – Risk Identification Worksheet
> Appendix 6 – Example Risk Identification Worksheet
Review the Example Worksheet to see what is expected in the documentation.
Complete the section of the worksheet that identifies who the risk of exposure applies to and
then from left to right complete the rest of the worksheet. The major sections are introduced
below with bold headings.
Job Task
State one job task at a time and name the job task as it is popularly known in the work place.
Describe the job task accurately so unfamiliar readers understand what is going on.
Describe details that may contribute to potential contact with the infectious disease.
Describe personal protective equipment that is worn that may reduce the chance of contact.
Route of Contact
Review Table 1, Table 4 and Chapter 5 to be familiar with the potential routes of contact for
the infectious diseases.
Table 4. Route of Contact explanations for the Risk Identification Worksheet
Needle stick or sharp Puncture or cutting of the skin by object

Non-intact skin Open cut, sore or rash contact with blood or body fluid
Human bite Human bite to skin
Mucous membrane Blood or body fluid contacting eyes, nose or mouth
Feces Hepatitis A contaminated feces contacting mouth
Air Contact with lung aerosol and spit generated from coughing
while TB is active and infectious
Urine, saliva, feces Contact by skin, ingestion and/or inhaling dusts of animal urine,
saliva or feces
Contaminated water Ingesting water contaminated by animal feces
Bite/Scratch Contact with animal biting or scratching skin
Mark an “X” in the appropriate routes of entry choices within the

Hazard Group. More than one X may be made within a Hazard
Group.
12
Risk Identified through

The risk of exposure may be identified through three possible sources:
> a job task analysis
> previous exposure at the workplace or in the public
service
> Occupational Health Programs consultation
Mark an “X” in the appropriate column to identify the risk source.
This section is significant because it impacts the risk assessment:

> A Job Task Analysis dissects a job to see where problems could happen, it is based on
“what if” scenarios (some people find them frustrating) but they are useful for
considering a range of possible situations that occur in the workplace.
In the Example Worksheet of the “gardening” job task an employee contacted the
contents of a condom that was considered an exposure. The Job Task Analysis could
also consider the possibility of a needle in the garden, the potential consequence for
this situation could be much worse for the employee.
There may be reasons to reduce the significance of Job Tasks Analyses in the risk
assessment but they can be useful.
> If a previous exposure was reported, it is important to consider this information for the
risk assessment since it probably was not a “one in a million chance” that the exposure
occurred.
> Consultation with Occupational Health Programs can also provide additional
information regarding the job task or details associated with the job task.
2.5.4 What is the Purpose of the Risk Assessment?

There are several purposes for the risk assessment:
> To meet WCB requirements for conducting risk assessments.
> Draw attention to job tasks and occupations at risk for training purposes.
> Prioritize the development of exposure control plans when there are multiple job tasks
that are at risk of exposure.
There is no right or wrong way to complete a risk assessment! The risk assessment is a
useful tool to help guide future decisions and to set priorities. Try not to worry about the
outcome of the assessment but consider the reality of the workplace and what seems to make
sense when comparing workplace risks.
Generally, try not to repeatedly refine the outcomes of the risk assessment. This time is
better spent devising solutions for the exposure control plan since these efforts will make the
workplace safer.
13
2.5.5 How to Complete the Risk Assessment Documentation

To complete the Risk Assessment documentation, follow the steps below:
Photocopy or print:
> Appendix 7 – Risk Assessment Worksheet
> Appendix 8 – Example Risk Assessment Worksheet
> Appendix 9 – Risk Assessment Score Table for Infectious Diseases
Review the Example Worksheet and the Score Table to help you see how it is completed.
You will notice that scores from the Score Table are used to approximate risk factors of the
job task.
Complete the section of the worksheet that identifies who the risk assessment applies to and
then from left to right complete the rest of the worksheet.
Copy the Job Task name used on the Identification Worksheet and add concise information
regarding exposure circumstances, severity and frequency. This information documents and
supports the risk score that is chosen in the following columns.
There are three columns labeled Likelihood, Frequency, and Consequence where scores
will be entered according to the criteria found in Appendix 9 – Risk Assessment Score
Table for Infectious Diseases.
Read your documentation entered in the first column of the Assessment Worksheet and
choose risk scores that seem reasonable based on the score’s criteria (Score Table).
Consider the Example (Appendix 8), for the “gardening” job task the likelihood score is
higher for the possible needle stick injury than for contact with non-intact skin. Why? A
needle stick injury is known to be a more effective route of transmission than through
non-intact skin, the risks are greater for needle stick injuries for contracting a bloodborne
infectious disease.
Choose a score from the Frequency section that seems most appropriate for the situation.
This can be difficult for events that have never happened. However, if there have been near
misses then there is evidence to conclude the event is not unique.
2.5.6 Choose a Rating for the Consequence Section

Multiply the three scores together to obtain a Risk Score.
Compare the Risk Score with the Risk Assessment Rating Table at the very bottom of
Appendix 9 to subjectively rate the risk of exposure as low, moderate or high.
In the score criteria boxes, in the Risk Assessment Score Table for Infectious Diseases,
there is additional information in brackets to provide some guidance on how to score. This is
for basic guidance in situations where there is local knowledge of conditions, rates of disease
14
in the population served, disease outbreaks, or local experts available, risk

scores should be used to account for the local situation and expertise.
It is acceptable to extrapolate scores if you feel that the provided

options do not satisfy your concern. For example, extrapolating
between 6 and 3 in the Frequency section may be done by using 5 if
a task is done 3 times a day once per week.
2.5.7 What does the Risk Assessment Rating mean?

The Risk Assessment Rating is a way to approximately compare the
risks of different job tasks and to try to prioritize which exposure
control plans will be developed first.
The low, moderate and high ratings could be added to the exposure control plans to draw
attention to them and they could be used to help train new employees to alert them to more
hazardous job tasks.
If many job tasks all have the same Risk Assessment Rating the Risk Score could be used
to prioritize the next step. Job tasks with higher Risk Scores may be addressed before
other tasks.
The following text boxes provide additional things to consider when deciding on risk scores.
What is the likelihood How likely is an incident to occur? Is an exposure expected, 50/50 chance or
of exposure? remotely possible?
Is the exposure reasonably anticipated? If the risk for exposure at work is remote,
then harmful contact to the infectious disease is not reasonably anticipated.
This means that if the work duties do not place the employee at risk of exposure
to infectious materials then it is very unlikely that there is risk to those employees.
The historical review of first aid incidents, WCB records and incident
investigations will assist in this area of risk assessment. Records of assaults that
result in bleeding are significant whereas verbal assaults would be less hazardous.
Reviewing studies may provide insight for potential risks. For health care settings
see: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/03vol29/
dr2924ea.html
Is the job task being performed in an emergency situation? Emergency situations

are often more at risk for blood borne pathogen exposures
What is the prevalence of infection in the client population? Inmates in

Correctional facilities have a high incidence of blood borne pathogen infections.
15
What are the Is the consequence minor in nature and most likely to have short-term health effects?
consequences of
the hazard? What health effects can be anticipated from bloodborne or biohazardous
materials? (e.g. Hepatitis, tuberculosis, AIDS or parasite infections from
contaminated water)
Are there serious health hazards, fatalities or permanent disability from exposure?
Has a harmful Harmful contact is defined as an exposure incident with blood or other potentially
contact occurred? infectious material through:
> Percutaneous injury (injury through the skin from a contaminated sharp item
such as a needle) or bites when the skin is broken or
> Contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth or
> Contact with non-intact skin (wounds less than three days old) such as cuts
nicks, abrasions, chapped skin, eczema, or dermatitis.
This means that for an occupational exposure to occur, the employee must come
in direct contact with another person’s blood or body fluids during the
performance of the employee’s duties
Does the exposure What are the specific bloodborne substances to which employees may be
result from specific exposed? (e.g. Blood, any body fluids with visible blood, vaginal secretions and
work duties? semen)
How can that exposure occur? (e.g. spills or accidental needle sticks from garbage
handling, Providing direct patient care (Nurses, Health Care Workers))
What are the specific work methods or procedures, which may result in exposure
to the employee? (e.g. giving injections, taking blood samples, laundry workers
handling clothing that may be contaminated with blood)
Who are the people at risk for the exposure? (e.g. housekeepers, corrections,
health care workers or parks employees)
Did the exposure result from an incident of violence which causes bleeding
(e.g. bloody saliva and a bite that breaks the skin or during restraint activities
where the client’s blood comes into contact with the employee’s non-intact skin
16
2.6 How to develop an Exposure Control Plan

An Exposure Control Plan (ECP) is required to have or consider certain elements listed in
the WCB OH&S Regulation. It is anticipated that some ministries or facilities will have
multiple ECPs but there will be considerable duplication of information in the ECPs. To
avoid the unnecessary duplication common elements will be kept in the Infection Prevention
and Control Program (IPCP) and specific information related to exposure control will be in
the ECP.
Terminology and Documentation used

WCB Element in ECP
in the IPCP and ECP.
Statement of purpose Reason for the ECP, written in ECP only

Statement of responsibilities General responsibilities listed in IPCP
Specific responsibilities listed in ECP
Risk Identification All Risk information listed in IPCP
Risk Assessment ECP will list specific Risk Identification details
Control / Written Procedures ECP will detail all controls and written procedures.
May keep common written procedures in IPCP if
there are many ECPs
Hygiene and Decontamination Facilities ECP will detail all hygiene and decontamination facility
issues
May detail in IPCP if common to many ECPs
Education and Training ECP refers to IPCP Education and Training details
Health Monitoring ECP refers to IPCP for Health Protection details
Documentation ECP refers to IPCP for Records details
Review ECP refers to IPCP for Evaluation
A complete Exposure Control Plan is in Appendix 10 – Bloodborne Pathogens for

Designated First Aid Attendants (DFAAs). The ECP is provided for two reasons:
> To assist ministries who only require an IPCP because of their first aid responsibilities.
> To help other ministries or facilities model their exposure control
plans on the example.
Detailed descriptions about how to develop an ECP cannot be provided

since every job task may require substantially different requirements or
resources in the ECP. Consider the advice below to help and refer to
Appendix 10 for developing your own ECP from Appendix 11 –
Exposure Control Plan Template.
Focus the ECP on how to control exposure from the employee’s perspective and make it as
easy to understand as possible. Make it short! Reader’s interest, comprehension and patience
are important if ECP to be of any use by workers.
Work through control hierarchy and think outside the box about the way the job is done:
Substitution or elimination: can the job be avoided?
17
Engineering: is there a tool or new technology that can replace the old way of doing
things that have a potential for exposure.
Administrative: can work scheduling change the risk of exposure? For example, should
two employees restrain a difficult client instead of one. Policies or practices must be
documented to retain the knowledge of doing a job task in a new way that reduces
exposure risks.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): is there new or better equipment available. PPE is
often the main defenses against biohazards.
Exposure Control Plan Hierarchy Examples of controls for infectious diseases
Elimination or Substitution Hire experts to control/clean up biohazards

Avoid areas where animal vector present
Engineering Tongs or other tools
Sharps containers
Good ventilation (TB)
Leak/puncture proof container-wheeled
(contaminated laundry, public/suspect garbage
collection)
Available cleaning facilities
Autoclave
Administrative (work practice controls) Washing hands policy
Always use PPE policy
Partner-up/contact security for difficult clients
Restraints for difficult clients
Boil water policy for wilderness travel
Bleach concentration for decontamination
Redesign of the work process
Personal Protective Equipment Gloves: rubber for liquids, leather for bites/scratches
Face shields or goggles
Respirators: dust masks, ½ face respirators
Protective suits, shields, knee-pads
Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an important method of controlling the spread of
infectious diseases in the workplace. PPE acts as a barrier against skin, eye and other body
contact with blood and body fluids or airborne diseases (e.g. TB and Hantavirus). PPE is
normally used in conjunction with engineering and work procedure control methods.
WCB Regulation Section 5.55 (3)
The use of protective equipment as the primary means of control is permitted only when
(a) Substitution or engineering or administrative controls are not practicable, or
(b) Additional protection is required because engineering or administrative controls
are insufficient to reduce exposure below the applicable exposure limits. (Editorial
notation: There are no exposure limits for biohazardous materials)
The exposure results from temporary or emergency conditions only.
18
Use of personal protective equipment includes the following measures:

> First aid attendants are required to use bag valve masks or one-way valve pocket
masks, biohazard barrier clothing, protective eye glasses. Medical disposable
gloves, (note latex gloves should be avoided due to allergic reactions in some
people); and face shields where required.
> Garbage handling should be done with puncture proof resistant and liquid
resistant gloves; and
> Health care workers should wear medical disposable gloves when performing
personal care activities involving blood or body fluids.
It is important to ensure adequate supplies, size selection, and adequate training for
employees who are required to use the PPE. Personal protective equipment must also be used
even if the exposure is temporary (e.g. spill cleanup). Joint OSH Committee must be
consulted regarding selection of personal protective equipment.
Chapter 4 and some parts of Chapter 5 have procedures that can be incorporated into ECPs.
2.6.1 What information is helpful to develop exposure control plans?

There are several things you need to know in order to develop effective exposure control
procedures. In most cases, the control methods to reduce exposure to an infectious disease
have already been established by others. If more information is required, the following
sources will be helpful.
Information Source Can Help by . . .
Job Description Identifying job tasks that may pose a risk of exposure
Risk Identification and Risk Describing the nature and degree of the risk associated with a task
Assessment Information
Employee and supervisor input Ensuring up to date knowledge of how job tasks are carried out,
what incidents (including ‘near misses’) have occurred that indicate a
risk is present
Work environment knowledge Indicating the technical feasibility of implementing control options
(e.g.: physical layout, ventilation, etc.)
Information on control options Identifying how a control option could be applied to the workplace
and/or to a job task
Information from other workplaces Showing what has worked elsewhere that could be used or
and sources, such as equipment modified at your workplace for the same or a similar hazard
operating instructions Describing the safe use and maintenance of equipment
Health Advisories/OHP Providing up to date information on infectious diseases, prevention
and medical protocols
WCB Regulation requirements Ensuring you know and understand legal obligations
Internet Many work procedures are on the internet from reliable sources, use
a search engine (www.google.ca) and scan for agencies such as:
WCB of BC, other provincial WCBs, Canadian and U.S. Universities
Health Canada Safety agencies, CCOHS, NIOSH, OSHA
New products and technologies can be found from safety supply
companies or hospital supply companies
19
2.7 What should be in the Education and Training, Health

Protection, Records and Program Evaluation Sections
of the IPCP.
Follow the layout of Appendix 4 – Infection Prevention and Control Plan for these sections.
Education and Training

Education and training requirements should all be listed in the
IPCP to centralize educational needs for the Program and ECPs.
Health Protection
Health Protection documentation in the IPCP should address
local access to the Hepatitis B vaccine, how to obtain first aid
and how to initiate post exposure management of an exposure.
Section 3 of this guide covers all aspects of health protection.
Records and Reporting

Up to date record keeping is important for any effective OHS program. Records and
documentation that should be kept with the IPCP includes:
> Program policy and responsibilities;
> Exposure control plans; and
> Risk Identification and Risk Assessment documentation.
Documents required to be kept under the IPCP are the same as other OHS Programs. The
location of these documents should be well known in the workplace and may exist in
electronic databases as well. The location of all necessary documents should be recorded in
the IPCP (Appendix 4) to ensure the inventory of documents may be easily found for IPCP
evaluation. Documents to be recorded:
> Education and training records (CHIPS);
> JOSH Committee Minutes and worker complaints;
> Incident/accident reports;
> First Aid records (Kept for 3 years);
> Referral and follow-up records post exposure(Kept by OHP for the term of
employment and 30 years after termination of employment);
> WCB Claim forms (Form 7, 7A, 6A, and 9) and claims management records;
> Confirmation of Vaccination Offer forms (Kept by the Ministry for the term
of employment. If employee transfers to another ministry her/his record
should be transferred and maintained by the new ministry);
> Vaccination records; (Kept by the Ministry and OHP for the term of
employment and by OHP for 10 years after termination of employment);
and
> Post Vaccination Blood Test (Kept by OHP the term of employment and for
30 years after termination of employment).
20
Evaluation
To ensure that the IPCP continues to protect employees it is required by the WCB OHS
Regulation for the Exposure Control Plan(s) to be reviewed at least annually and in
consultation with the joint occupational health and safety committee. Ministries or
workplaces may want to customize this section to add specific items that they may want to
consider during a review.
The following elements might be considered:

> Changes to work procedures to determine whether or not new risks have developed
requiring new identification and risk assessment documentation;
> If new responsibilities have been acquired then those responsibilities may need to be
reviewed to determine if they pose any new risks;
> If job classifications change or job tasks change, those new duties will be reviewed to
determine whether additional training in biohazardous controls are required;
> If new technology becomes available, which minimizes or
eliminates infectious disease risks, that technology should be
reviewed by the employer in consultation with the Joint
OHS committee to determine if implementation is feasible;
> Statistics and trends should be reviewed to determine
effectiveness of the program (e.g., in the frequency of
incidents, accidents, violations, and claims relating to
biohazardous material exposures);
> Identifying and addressing issues that impact exposures
(e.g., Incident investigations regarding unsafe work
practices, lack of PPE or insufficient training);
> Evaluating exposure control plans, education and training programs, and records; and
> Compliance to Hepatitis B immunization program.
2.8 Infection Prevention and Control Program Checklist

Regulatory Requirements for the IPCP where needed. A � mark indicates YES.
� Has the Ministry determined whether or not employees may be exposed to
bloodborne pathogens or other biohazardous materials?
� Has the Ministry reviewed a list of typical job classifications and job tasks to
determine potential exposure?
� Having reviewed a list of job classifications and job tasks, has the Ministry developed a
specific list of job positions and tasks with potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens?
Has the Ministry customized the Infection Prevention and Control Program, and Exposure
Control Plan(s) for:
� A statement of purpose and responsibilities?
� Risk identification, risk assessment and control?
� Written work procedures?
� Education and training of workers?
21
� Hygiene facilities and decontamination?

� Health monitoring where required?
� Requirements for documentation?
� Program evaluation?
2.9 WCB Regulation Checklist

Has the Ministry reviewed the list of job positions and tasks with risk of exposure to
bloodborne pathogens to determine whether or not:
� Elimination of the task is practicable?
� Substitution with a safer procedure is possible?
� Engineering controls can be implemented?
� Are engineering controls, administrative controls, or personal protective equipment
in place to eliminate or minimize the risk to employees when elimination and
substitution cannot be used?
� Are housekeeping procedures in place to minimize the risk of exposure to bloodborne
pathogens or other biohazardous materials?
� Is training provided to employees about the exposure control plans and how to work safely?
� Are records kept of training and information sessions for employees?
� Are standard precautions in place to reduce the risk of exposure to bloodborne
pathogens?
� If the Ministry deals with laundry are procedures in place to identify, isolate and tag
contaminated laundry?
� Are all containers of biohazardous materials properly labeled?
� Is a vaccination program in place for employees with potential exposure to Hepatitis B?
� Are employees advised to seek medical help if exposed to bloodborne pathogens?
22
3 Health Protection
3.1 Introduction
In spite of the best control procedures, accidental exposures can
and do occur. Post exposure management of these incidents are
critical factors in preventing the development of an infectious
disease such as Hepatitis or AIDS. This section covers health
protection information of the infection prevention and control
program.
Health protection includes vaccination, post exposure health management, reporting

procedures and records. Post exposure health management and health monitoring that follow
an exposure is a very important part of the infection prevention and control program.
3.2 Vaccinations
Vaccines are used to stimulate the body’s defense systems against the infectious disease
without the risk of illness. There are many vaccines available. Most people have received
vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis as children. Other people received
vaccination recommended by public health authorities prior to traveling where they may be
exposed to infectious diseases such as cholera or yellow fever. There are also many infectious
diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis C where no vaccines have yet been developed.
One of the factors for health protection against infectious diseases in the workplaces is
vaccination against Hepatitis B.
The WCB requirement regarding vaccinations is as follows:

Section 6.38 Vaccinations for Biohazardous Materials states:
Vaccinations against Hepatitis B virus must be made available at no cost to the
worker, upon request, for all workers who have, or may have, occupational
exposure to Hepatitis B virus.
Under the Master Agreement Article 22.12 the following occupations have been
recommended to receive the offer of Hepatitis B vaccinations.
23
Occupations Recommended for Hepatitis B Vaccination
Correction Officer Series and Deputy Sheriffs

Laboratory Workers – Riverview
Security and Central Supply Staff – Riverview
Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses in Correctional Centres and Health Care Facilities
Health Care Workers and Activity Workers in these facilities:
> Provincial Correctional Institutions
> Forensic Psychiatry Institution
> Riverview Hospital Facility
> Lodge at Broadmead
> Oak Bay Lodge
Child and Youth Mental Health and Youth Justice Facilities
Youth Security Custody Centre
Youth Open Custody Centre
Youth Forensic Psychiatric Clinics
Inpatient Assessment Unit
Maples Adolescent Centre
Migrant Youth Services
Willow Clinic
Designated First Aid Attendants
Others as determined by the Article 22.2 Committee in consultation with Occupational Health Programs.
3.3 Hepatitis B Pre-Exposure

Although there is no cure for Hepatitis B infection, there is effective
protection through vaccinations either before or following exposure to this
virus. Vaccination is the process of becoming immune to an infectious disease
by establishing resistance to the infectious disease contained in the vaccine.
Anyone can obtain Hepatitis B vaccinations through their family physician as a

personal choice. Public health services have introduced a Hepatitis B program
in schools and with newborn babies. In the workplace, the vaccine is offered
only to those employees where reasonable expectations of occupational
exposure occur through their job duties. This is a voluntary program by the
employee.
Hepatitis B vaccinations are recommended for specific groups of employees as

a precautionary method of health protection.
24
3.4 Hepatitis B Post-Exposure

Hepatitis B vaccination is also available for health protection when accidental exposure
occurs through harmful contact for non-vaccinated employees.
Once the exposure incident has been medically assessed, the physician will determine an
appropriate course of treatment. Vaccination should always be initiated at the time of
accidental exposure. At the same time a second injection of Hepatitis B Immune globulin
(HBIG) may be given. HBIG contains Hepatitis B antibodies which provide immediate
protection for 1-3 months during the period of time that protection is being produced with
initiation and completion of the vaccination series.
Common questions asked about the Hepatitis B vaccination:
Does it hurt?
The vaccine is administered with a small needle in your upper arm, so the
discomfort is minimal, but you may have a slightly sore arm afterward. If you
are anxious about receiving needles, please inform the nurse ahead of time so
she may address all your concerns.
How often do I have to have this vaccine?

The vaccine is administered in 3 doses over a six-month period per the recommended
schedule: dose 1, then dose 2 one month later and dose 3 five months after the second.
Can I catch anything from the vaccine?

No. Hepatitis B vaccine is a synthetic vaccine. It is not derived from blood products so other
viruses cannot be transmitted through the vaccine.
What are my chances of being sick or having an adverse

reaction?
Redness, soreness, warmth and minor swelling in the arm where you
are vaccinated may occur. Although it is rare to have any serious side
effects, about 15% report some ‘flu-like’ symptoms 24-48 hours after
the injection. Nausea, vomiting, headaches, and aching joints have
been reported. There is no link established between diseases such as
multiple sclerosis (MS) and Hepatitis B vaccination.
I have heard that some people are allergic to the vaccine, what if I am too?
As with all vaccines, anaphylaxis (a life threatening allergic reaction characterized by
difficulty breathing) is very rare but can occur. Hepatitis B vaccine contains trace amounts of
yeast and a preservativealuminum hydroxide. Thimerosal is no longer used as a preservative
in Hepatitis B vaccine. The Centre for Disease Control advises that the only reason for not
receiving Hepatitis vaccine is if one has a history of a previous anaphylactic reaction to any
component of the vaccine. If you have had a severe reaction to a vaccine in the past, you
should consult your physician prior to vaccination.
25
What if I am pregnant?
You can receive the vaccine if you are pregnant. However, you may feel more comfortable
waiting until after you deliver to get vaccinated. Discuss this with your physician.
I have a cold – can I still have the vaccination?

The only time you need to postpone the shot is if you are running a fever. For other medical
conditions, consult your physician.
I think I may have had one vaccination years ago – is it dangerous to have
another?
No, if you have lost your vaccination record and do not know if you completed
your three doses there is no harm to you in starting the process over again.
Occupational Health Programs can advise you on whether you are required to
repeat the entire series or not.
Will I need a booster?

Not if your post vaccination blood test shows you have developed immunity.
When should I have my blood checked in order to know if I am protected?
You are advised to have the post-vaccination blood test done 6-8 weeks after your third shot.
If the test results show that you have not attained immunity you will be notified by
Occupational Health Programs regarding the need for further vaccination. You can request
the lab to send a copy of the results to your physician.
Will I be protected after the first vaccination?

No. It is important to have all 3 vaccinations to become immunized. You should not consider
yourself protected until the vaccine schedule is completed. Vaccination never replaces the
following of safe work procedures when dealing with blood, body fluids or sharps.
Can I safely receive other vaccinations (i.e. flu vaccination) in the same day?
Yes, provided they are administered in separate arms.
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3.5 Procedures for Hepatitis B Vaccinations

Employees who have potential occupational exposure to Hepatitis B should be provided with
information on Hepatitis B and the reasons why vaccination is recommended. Information
on how to obtain the vaccinations should also be made available.
This is a simple procedure where the employee reviews the information on Hepatitis B
vaccinations and makes a decision whether to participate or not.
Employees are required to complete and sign the “Confirmation of Vaccination Offer”
documenting compliance or noncompliance and returning it promptly to a supervisor or
Local Coordinator specified by the employee’s ministry. (Appendix 13)
Employees are responsible for arranging their vaccination either through a family physician,
local health unit, or travel clinic. In some cases employees will need to purchase the vaccines
from a pharmacy and take it with them to be vaccinated. The vaccine can be purchased
without a prescription and costs approximately $26-$31 per shot (at time of publication). It is
not covered by your Extended Health Plan. Be sure to keep receipts as these are used for
reimbursement of costs (see 3.6 Payment for Vaccination Costs).
Take the “Hepatitis B Vaccination Record Form” (obtain official form, photocopies not
accepted, see example in Appendix 14) with you for each vaccination. The person
administering the vaccine is to complete and sign the appropriate sections of the form. This
confirms the vaccination and date received for your health records.
If at some point in the process the decision is made not to continue and complete the full
vaccination series, inform your supervisor or ministry local coordinator.
Complete the bottom portion of the Hepatitis B Vaccination form indicating that a decision
has been made not to continue the full vaccination series.
On completion of your vaccination series return the “Hepatitis B Vaccination Record Form”
to your supervisor or local coordinator. A copy of the completed vaccination series needs to
be sent to Occupational Health Programs. You should keep a personal copy for your own
records.
3.6 Payment for Vaccination Costs

It is required to pay “up front” for the costs associated with
vaccine administration but the ministry upon submission of
receipts and completion of the “Hepatitis B Vaccination Record
Form” will reimburse these expenses.
3.7 Post-Vaccination Testing

Post-vaccination testing is recommended six to eight weeks after completion of the final (3rd)
Hepatitis B vaccination. Occupational Health Programs will send out the “Post Vaccination
Test Requisition Form” to employees who have completed the full vaccination series. This
form is provided by the employee to the laboratory to obtain the blood test.
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The laboratory will send the test results in confidence to Occupational Health Programs.
Occupational Health Programs will contact the employee if the blood test indicates that
there is insufficient immunity. At this time Occupational Health Programs may recommend
those employees to have additional vaccinations. A small percentage of the population may
not achieve proper immunity after two series of shots. These individuals are considered non
responders. Post exposure management to Hepatitis B in these individuals have a very
specific protocol which requires implementation with each exposure.
Occupational Health Programs will only contact employees who did not achieve immunity
from the series of vaccinations.
3.8 Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure – Post Exposure Management

The following post exposure management strategy specifically refers to exposure to blood or
body fluids. However, the first aid procedures provided here applies to any skin puncture
wound and any infectious disease. Contact Occupational Health Programs (604-660-2587)
for post exposure management strategies for other infectious diseases that you identify from
your risk identification process.
Even though a person has been vaccinated, post exposure follow-up and testing are essential
for overall health protection. If an employee has experienced harmful contact with blood or
other body fluids with visible blood then follow-up must be
sought from a local hospital emergency department.
A harmful contact might include:

> skin penetration with a sharp,
> a human bite resulting in a punctured skin wound, or
> blood, body fluid or potentially infectious material
contact with non-intact skin or mucous membranes
(eyes, nose or mouth).
3.9 Reporting
Prompt reporting of exposure to blood or body fluids in the workplace is an important part of
the overall Infection Prevention and Control Program. The employee must be immediately
referred to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital for medical assessment and
appropriate treatment. The exposure incident must be reported to WCB and OHP
Follow-up of medical treatment is provided by the family physician. The Occupational

Health Nurse from Occupational Health Programs provides counseling to the employee. If
The employee experiences the exposure as a traumatic event, The employee and their family
also has access to the Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
Occupational Health Programs Contact phone number is 604-660-2587.
In the event of an accidental harmful exposure to blood or body fluids, employees need
to take steps immediately after an exposure to reduce the risk of infection.
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3.10 First Aid Treatment

In the event of an accidental harmful exposure to blood or body fluids, employees need to
take steps immediately after an exposure to reduce the risk of infection.
Harmful exposure only occurs when someone else’s blood, body fluids or other potentially
infectious materials are:
> in direct contact with an employee’s wound (if wound less than 3 days old);
> in contact with membranes of the mouth or eyes;
> in contact by needle stick injection or a bite through the skin; or
> as a result of a puncture wound from a contaminated sharp.
All employees need to know how to contact first aid attendants in their workplace and the
importance of reporting all harmful exposure to blood or body fluids.
The supervisor is to ensure that first aid treatment records and other WCB forms are
completed and forwarded to WCB and a copy faxed to Occupational Health Programs.
Occupational Health Programs Fax Number is 604-775-0697.
The following information describes the standard health protection emergency first aid
procedures for harmful exposures.
First Aid Procedures
First aid procedures following accidental blood and body fluid exposure. If an accidental exposure
to blood and body fluids occurs at work, the following steps are to be followed by employees.
1. STOP what you are doing.
2. CLEANSE Eyes and mucous membranes:
> Flush eyes for 15 minutes with water or normal saline
Skin: Wash well with soap and water
Needle stick: Wash puncture site with soap and water
> Promote bleeding of wound by lowering extremity below level of the heart if possible.
> DO NOT promote bleeding by cutting, crosshatch scratching or puncturing skin.
3. DISPOSE of the sharp or needle in a puncture proof sharps container.
4. REPORT to your First Aid attendant and supervisor immediately.
> After first aid go to the Hospital Emergency Department immediately for medical
assessment. Inform the physician that the incident is an occupational exposure
(WCB Case) and where you are employed.
5. OBTAIN MEDICAL assessment, treatment and advice.
6. FOLLOW-UP: Provide information to your supervisor to assist in accident investigation
and WCB reporting.
Call Occupational Health Programs at 604-660-2587; and Fax copy of WCB forms to
Occupational Health Programs at 604-775-0697.
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3.11 Medical Assessment

The employee should immediately be referred to an emergency department for medical
assessment as antiviral treatment, if recommended, is most effective when administered
within 2 hours of the exposure to HIV.
Factors that will be considered in the medical assessment of the employee include:
> The type of fluid or material they were exposed to;
> The type of exposure (e.g. needle stick vs. contact with intact skin);
> The status of the source (e.g. known person or unknown source of exposure who is
always considered infectious); and,
> The health status of the employee.
At the hospital the exposed person may have their blood tested for Hepatitis B and C, and
HIV. baseline testing at the time of exposure provides documentation of status at the time of
exposure. This information may be required in establishing a WCB claim.
3.12 Medical Treatment and Referral

Hospital emergency or health care facility staff will assess the degree of health risk related to
the employee’s exposure to blood or body fluids and develop a treatment program based on
this risk assessment.
WCB Regulation Section 6.40, “Health Protection” states:

(1) A worker potentially exposed to Hepatitis B or another bloodborne pathogen in
an exposure incident must be advised to seek a medical evaluation at the time of
an incident.
(2) The medical evaluation must be based on an assessment of the risks associated
with the incident, and subsequent post-exposure health management must be
provided as necessary.
The ministry must make sure that the injured employee is transported to a hospital as soon as
possible; the ministry is responsible for the costs of transportation.
In remote areas where hospital facilities are not readily accessible, medical assessment and
treatment by the local Health Unit or Medical Clinic will provide the initial treatment
following accidental exposure.
The employee will also be referred by emergency medical services to his or her own family
physician for follow up. If the family physician feels that the employee has had a high-risk
HIV exposure, the common procedure is for the doctor to immediately contact the Centre of
Excellence Pharmacy or the Hot Line (1-800-665-7677) so that the appropriate therapy can
be determined.
Employees and their families have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program as
needed. This is a confidential counseling service.
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Ministries are to advise Occupational Health Programs of any occupational exposure incident
in order for the occupational health nurse or physician to contact the employee.
Standard Precautions +Pre-Exposure Vaccinations +

Post Exposure Treatment = Health Protection
3.13 Post Exposure HIV

Treatment guidelines have been developed by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in
HIV/AIDS from St. Paul’s Hospital. Medical specialists make the treatment recommendations
regarding antiretroviral therapy drugs when an occupational exposure has occurred. Treatment
is only initiated for high risk exposures. Exposed employees involved in a high risk exposure are
provided with a starter treatment kit in emergency following the medical assessment of the risk.
Antiretroviral therapy is rarely recommended for low risk exposures such as contact with an
abandoned needle. Receiving the therapy should not be considered a standard practice.
Upon notification of the exposure, Occupational Health Programs’ occupational health nurse
will provide follow-up services with the employee.
The exposed employee should also be counseled with respect to the relative risks of the
exposure and the prevention of transmission of HIV to others. This counseling is available
from the family doctor and Occupational Health Programs.
Information about the Blood test for HIV:
The blood test is to detect antibodies, which the body forms if infected by the HIV virus. It
does not test for the virus itself.
A “reactive” test result means that you have been infected with the HIV
virus.
A “non-reactive” result means either you have not been infected with the
virus or you are in the window period.
The “window period” is the time from being infected until antibodies develop.
It is generally 2 to 6 months. During this time you are still infectious.
The results will be sent to your personal physician.
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3.14 Post Exposure Hepatitis B & C

The post exposure medical assessment will include blood tests for Hepatitis B and C. These
test results will establish the employee’s baseline antibody status and are important to
determine appropriate post-exposure treatment.
Post exposure treatment for Hepatitis B is dependent on the doctor’s assessment of the
exposure incident and the employee’s immunity status. If the source of the exposure is
known to have Hepatitis B, then the employee is usually treated with Hepatitis B immune
globulin to prevent infection.
Those employees who have documented evidence of immunity to Hepatitis B will require no
further treatment for Hepatitis B. Those employees who are unvaccinated, or have not
completed the vaccination series, or are known as non-responders to vaccination, will be
provided with Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and further vaccinations.
3.15 Records and Documenting Exposures

Records of Exposure
Reporting ensures that incidents that may pose a hazard are investigated and preventative
measures taken. Personal medical records regarding an exposure incident are confidential.
Occupational Health Programs maintains records of all employees who are exposed to
biohazardous or potentially biohazardous materials while at work.
Documentation of an exposure to biohazardous materials includes:

> Accident/Incident Reports;
> First Aid treatment records;
> Medical reports (if available); and
> Hepatitis B Vaccinations records.
How Long Must Records be kept?

Most of the WCB claims reporting forms must be kept for a minimum of
three years (e.g., First aid Report, Form 7).
The WCB recommends that education and training records be kept for a
minimum period of 3 years after the training session.
> Any medical records related to employees’ exposure to infectious diseases is kept
confidential by Occupational Health Programs for the term of employment and for 30
years after termination of employment.
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Investigating an Exposure Incident

When a blood or body fluid exposure incident occurs at work an investigation must be
conducted in accordance with Article 22.05 of the BCGEU/BC Provincial Government
Master Agreement, the WCB OHS Regulation and Workers Compensation Act.
The intent of the investigation is to identify what caused the exposure and make
recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
As soon as practicable, the incident needs to be jointly investigated

and information recorded on the ministry’s accident investigation
forms (Refer to your ministry’s internal investigation process).
Incident reports must be respectful of the confidentiality requirements

and protect the privacy of the employee(s) involved. Employee names
need not be discussed at the JOSH Committee meeting. Discussions
should relate to the incident, recommendations and follow-up actions
taken to prevent recurrence.
Are Infection Control Medical Records Confidential?

Personal medical information regarding an employee’s infectious diseases is strictly
confidential in accordance with provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy Act, Human Rights Code and Workers’ Compensation Act.
If the employer is aware that the employee has an infectious disease, this information must
not be shared with anyone (including other ministry staff or government agencies) without
the written permission of the employee. Privacy and confidentiality includes pre-hire
information, information during employment as well as medical information related to
rehabilitation return to work plans.
3.16 Standard Precaution Controls for Bloodborne Pathogens

Standard (Universal) precautions are the most effective method of control for bloodborne
infections. This method of infection control requires all blood and other potentially
infectious materials be treated as though infected with HIV, Hepatitis or other bloodborne
pathogens, regardless of the perceived risk status of the client. Research has demonstrated it
is not possible to accurately determine whether someone is infectious or not.
Standard precautions must include:

> The assumption that all contacts may be infectious, since there is no way of knowing
who is infectious;
> Providing and wearing appropriate equipment for the exposure such as gloves, apron,
protective eyeglasses and face shields;
> Washing hands after any contamination and before eating, drinking or smoking;
> Washing hands after removing gloves;
> Protecting damaged skin by covering with a medical disposable dressing and/or using
medical disposable gloves;
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> Disposing of sharps following safe disposal procedures;

> Using resuscitation devices such as pocket masks with one-way valves to eliminate the
need for direct mouth to mouth contact during CPR; and
> Containing spills, splashes and contamination by blood and body fluids.
Standard Precautions
Standard precautions treat the blood and body fluids of every person as if they were potentially infected.
Standard precautions are steps taken to prevent contact with blood and body fluids of other people.
Examples include:
> Wearing medical disposable gloves;
> Frequent hand washing; and
> Safe handling and disposing of sharp objects, such as needles and contaminated broken glass.
Why are standard precautions necessary?

People can carry HIV and the Hepatitis B and C viruses without knowing they have the disease and
without any signs or symptoms of illness.
3.17 Personal Hygiene – General Considerations for all Workplaces

Personal hygiene is a simple and basic control factor.
A key aspect of personal hygiene is basic hand washing. Hand washing helps to avoid
transferring any potentially infectious material from one person to other persons or to items
or surfaces people may touch.
Using gloves does not eliminate the need for hand washing. Once gloves are removed, the
employee should wash their hands to prevent the potential spread of germs.
3.18 Personal Hygiene – Specific Facilities Considerations

Facilities such as health care facilities and laboratories need additional control measures.
Examples of additional measures include:
> Locating washing facilities as close as possible to the work areas at risk;
> Automatically operated sinks (e.g., taps with an electric eye) or sinks with handles
operated by the elbow, knee, or foot. This minimizes
contact with sink handles, especially by hands that may be
infected;
> Manually operated soap dispensers, rather than bar soap;
> Mild soap (e.g. soap with a neutral pH factor, non-irritating,
and non-abrasive). Harsh soaps may contribute to dermatitis
and non-intact skin, which then offer a route for infection;
> Hand lotions or creams to help prevent dryness and
dermatitis that may be associated with frequent hand
washing. These must, however, be compatible with other
products or equipment that may be used, such as gloves;
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> Notification of laundry or dry cleaning facility of any biohazards on clothing, linen or
other items contaminated with blood or body fluids.
3.19 Housekeeping Practices – General Considerations

for all Workplaces
A clean work environment can help reduce the risk of exposure to infectious diseases and
biohazardous materials.
The primary responsibility for health and safety in the workplace rests with the employer.
This includes ensuring that housekeeping procedures and standards are maintained and
clean-up procedures are followed.
While workplace housekeeping is often undertaken by contracted

services (janitorial companies, etc.), it is still the employer that must
ensure the services meet the needs and standards of the workplace.
The employer must ensure that contracted cleaning services have

proper procedures in place and properly trained staff to address
housekeeping needs which includes blood and body fluid clean up
procedures.
Most office environments have a contractor for cleaning services.

Others, such as facilities, may provide their own cleaning.
Some workplaces that have been identified as having a risk of

exposure to biohazardous materials, particularly those at risk of exposure to bloodborne
pathogens should pay particular attention to issues of cleanliness. These workplaces would be
primarily correctional, long-term care, and psychiatric institutions.
Housekeeping procedures generally need to identify a routine cleaning schedule for each
facility and office workplace. Consideration should be given to the following factors:
> Where the cleaning needs to be done;
> What items, equipment and surfaces need to be cleaned and how often;
> What type of cleaning materials should be used for routine cleaning, and
> Who is responsible for carrying out the cleaning?
Extraordinary cleaning for most work surfaces is not required. When blood or body fluid spill
occur the procedures already described in the guide should be followed.
Reusable equipment exposed to blood or body fluids must be decontaminated, cleaned and
sterilized prior to any reuse, maintenance service or repair.
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4 Safe work procedures

4.1 Developing your own safe work procedures
The sample safe work procedures in this section can be used to insert into exposure control
plans or to have as separate safe work practices. Ministries will have to customize these
procedures for their specific workplaces.
If there are procedures that you require and they are not present in the Guide, check with
other ministries or facilities to share procedures. Check the internet for procedures, often
there are procedures from reliable resources such as government agencies, universities,
hospitals and sometimes military sites for health and safety procedures (Canadian, US,
British, or Australian sites). Or you may have to write procedures from scratch.
You may want to check internet sourced or self written procedures with Occupational
Health Programs and/or your regions BC Public Service Agency OHS Specialist if there are
certain technical issues that you require help with. Make sure others read your procedures to
make sure they are understood properly or consider having them translated if English is a
problem for some employees.
Information unique to the workplace should be added to the procedures and instructions for
orientation of new employees as well as a guide to review procedures during inspections or
during post incident investigations.
Examples of the type of information that should be added includes:

> Specific instructions on how to summon first aid and seek medical attention;
> Specific instructions to notify the supervisor;
> What personal protective equipment (such as medical disposable gloves) s required,
when to use and how to obtain this equipment; and
> The location of equipment and tools such as sharp’s containers, tongs and spill kits for
cleanup procedures.
4.2 Sample safe work procedures

4.2.1 Sharps Disposal Procedures
Sharps are defined as clinical and laboratory materials consisting of
needles, syringes, blades or laboratory glass, capable of causing
punctures, cuts or grazes. Sharps also include any other sharp edged
material contaminated with blood such as broken glass.
Needles and other items that may carry the HIV and Hepatitis B and C viruses are often
thrown away in streets, public washrooms, regular garbage, parks, and alleys. They can also
be found behind toilets. The following procedure protects the employee from any harmful
contact. Use the following procedure for picking up sharps and other contaminated items
(e.g. condoms).
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Safety sharp disposal procedures include:

1. Have fluid resistant or medical disposable gloves and sharps container ready. For broken
contaminated glass, use a brush or broom and dustpan;
2. Put on (fluid resistant or medical disposable) gloves;
3. Place the sharps container next to the needle or other item. Do not hold the container
in your hand, or you might accidentally jab yourself when placing the sharp inside the
container;
4. Use tongs or pliers to pick up the needle or other sharps and place it in the container;
5. Collect contaminated broken glass with a brush / broom into a dust pan;
6. Although not recommended if you have to pick the needle up directly with your gloved
hand be sure to pick the needle up by the shaft and place in the sharps container with
the needles pointed end away from you. Never insert your fingers into the sharps
container opening and keep your other free hand out of the way;
7. Remove and discard the gloves following proper disposal procedures and then wash your
hands with soap and water; and
8. Securely tape the lid on any sharps container closed when it is about three-quarters full
and send for disposal.
Use tongs or pliers to pick up and place

the sharp – pointed end first – into the
container.
Disposal instructions for full sharps containers will

need to be made on a site by site basis but this
biohazardous material needs to be incinerated by a local
company that provides this service. (Check with the local
hospital or medical treatment center regarding who provides
this service locally.)
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4.2.2 How to pick up a needle using a One-Needle container

One-needle containers that fit easily into pockets have been designed for outdoor workers
who may not be close to sharps disposal equipment. The following method is for a one-needle
container. You must use only one hand with this technique to avoid jabbing yourself:
> Wear fluid resistant or medical disposable gloves.

> Use a proper puncture-resistant and leak proof, one-needle
container.
> Hold the blunt end of the syringe in one hand. Then ease the sharp
end of the needle into the opening of the container. Do not use
your other hand to guide it.
> Lift and tip the needle and container up so that the container falls
down over the needle and covers the sharp end of the needle.
> Once the sharp end of the needle is enclosed in the container, you
can safely grasp the container and syringe with your other hand to
place the cap on the container. Make sure the cap is on securely.
When you turn the container over (cap up), the needle will embed
itself in the Styrofoam plug. Place the container in your pocket and
discard in a suitable disposal container at your first opportunity.
> Remove and discard the gloves. Wash your hands with soap and
water at your first opportunity.
General Housekeeping Procedures

In some workplaces, especially health care and correctional facilities, housekeeping, cleaning,
and spill clean-up are generally done by employees as part of their regular duties.
Facilities should ensure written procedures are in place regarding cleaning and
decontamination in the event of a spill of blood or other biohazardous material.
Cleaning and Decontamination Procedures

Decontamination procedures are based on where the cleaning occurs (e.g. room, vehicle),
type of surfaces to be cleaned and type and size of contamination. Is this a small or a large
amount of blood or body fluids?
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Cleaning procedures must specify the type of disinfectant to be used in the dilution mixture,
how to apply and how much time the disinfectant should remain on the contaminated
surfaces. A good resource is the BCCDC Laboratory Services “A Guide to Selection & Use
of Disinfectants” (http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=76) Infection Control
Guidelines/Outbreak Interventions.
Personal protective equipment must be specified in the written procedures.
What is decontamination?
Decontamination is defined as the process that removes pathogens from a contaminated
object to make it safe for use. This can involve sanitization, disinfecting or sterilization
processes.
Sanitization is a cleaning procedure that removes some but not all of the germs. An example
would be thoroughly washing a surface with soap and water.
Disinfecting is a process that destroys specific germs by applying a chemical solution to the
area contaminated for a specified length of time.
Sterilization is a process that destroys all forms of pathogens on an object and is more
commonly found in health care facilities. Disposable sterilized supplies are an effective
method of infection control.
Cleaning and Decontamination Procedures

Disinfectants are varied and constantly changing. Examples of
disinfectants that kill Hepatitis and HIV viruses include household
bleach (sodium hypochlorite) 1:10 parts mixture with water, 70%
ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, formaldehyde and 2% glutaraldehyde.
Note: Formaldehyde and 2% glutaraldehyde have traditionally

been used in medical settings. These disinfectants are particularly
hazardous (carcinogens and sensitizers) and should be substituted
with bleach or other less hazardous disinfectants.
The selection of disinfectants is constantly changing. Research continues to develop more

effective disinfectants and reviewing current disinfectants in use should be part of the annual
program review process and changed as required.
Important: Do Not Mix Cleaning Chemicals such as ammonia and bleach, they react to
form a very irritating gas called chloramine.
Accidental Exposure Spill Procedures

When an incident occurs and normal janitorial services are not immediately available, then
accidental exposure spill procedures may need to be implemented by onsite staff to protect
employees and clients who may be present.
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All workplaces need to ensure written procedures are in place regarding what to do in the
event of an accidental exposure to blood or other infected materials in the workplace.
Also it is not just simply a matter of ‘mopping up’ when it comes to blood and body fluids.
Employees cleaning up accidental blood or body fluid spills need to follow some simple yet
important safe work procedures using universal precautions. Sample spill clean-up procedures
are covered in section four of this guide.
When control procedures are followed consistently, the risk for infection is greatly reduced.
Incidents of infection from bloodborne work exposures are quite low. The consequence of
unreported and untreated exposure can be very serious and may result in chronic disease.
4.2.3 Clean-up and disinfecting minor blood spills and other body fluids procedure
The following procedure is suitable for almost all blood and body spills that occur.
Materials Required for a Spill Kit:

> Bucket and wringer/damp mop and handle
> Disposable medical gloves of different sizes
> Goggles
> Disposable towels
> Disinfectant cleaner such as household bleach
> Wet floor signs and disposable plastic bags
Clean-up and Disinfecting Procedures:

1. Restrict access to the spill area and place the wet floor sign near the spill.
2. Prepare the disinfectant solution in the bucket using 1 part bleach to 100 parts water
(1:100 ratio) This solution will kill HIV and the Hepatitis B and C viruses except with
spills involving a large amount of blood. Wear your goggles when pouring the bleach or
disinfectant into the water.
3. Wearing gloves, pick up as much of the spill as you can with disposable towels, dipped
into the disinfectant mixture. Deposit the used rags or disposable towels in regular
plastic garbage bags. Double bag this garbage.
4. After removal of all visible blood/material change gloves. Pour bleach or germicide
solution over the spill area to decontaminate. Leave the solution on the spill site for 10
minutes, and then wipe up with disposable towels. Discard the towels in (double
bagged) disposable garbage bags.
5. If using a wet mop that has been dipped in the disinfectant, work from the outside of the
spill from clean to dirty until the whole spill area has been covered. When finished rinse
your mop well, then disinfect and rinse your bucket, wiping it clean before storing.
Soiled mop heads should be laundered following use.
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6. Remove the soiled gloves, discard and wash your hands in soap and water.
4.2.4 Clean-up and disinfecting major blood spills procedure

This procedure involving a second mopping and extra PPE is recommended in spill clean up
for a large amount of blood.
Materials Required for a Spill Kit:

> Bucket and wringer and (2) damp mops and handle
> Disposable medical gloves of different sizes and goggles
> Clean rags/disposable towels
> Disinfectant cleaner such as household bleach
> Wet floor signs and disposable plastic bags
> Disposable waterproof boots or rubber boots
> Isolation gown
Clean-up and Disinfecting Procedure:

1. Restrict access to the spill area and place the wet floor sign near the spill.
2. Prepare the disinfectant solution in the bucket using 1 part bleach to 10 parts water
(A more concentrated 1:10 ratio of bleach is recommended for large amounts of
blood). Wear your goggles when pouring the bleach/ disinfectant into the water and
during the first mopping of the spill.
3. Wear gloves, face shield, isolation gown and waterproof boot covers or rubber boots.
4. Dip mop into the disinfecting solution and start mopping from the outside of the spill in
towards the centre of the spill area.
5. When completed change the mop head, remove isolation gown, and face shield and
rubber boots or disposable shoe covers. Place the used mop head into a plastic bag and
place in the laundry bags marked for biohazards.
6. Using a new mop head and fresh disinfecting solution of bleach or germicide proceed to
re-mop the spill area again. Leave the disinfectant bleach solution on for about 10
minutes. When finished with the second mopping, rinse
the mop well, clean bucket and wipe it clean.
7. Remove your medical disposable gloves, discard, and wash

your hands with soapand water.
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Sample Spill Kits Items
The following are a basic list of suggested supplies for clean up of blood, other biohazardous materials and
sharps.
> Broom and dust pan for picking up dry infected materials
> Tong for picking up used needles or broken glass
> Puncture-resistant gloves of different sizes
> Medical disposable gloves of different sizes
> Disinfecting chemicals such as household bleach or a commercial equivalent
> Leak-proof dispos plastic bags
> Puncture proof container for sharps
> Other cleaning supplies such as cleans rags, mop bucket, clean mops heads and handles
> Wet floor signs
4.2.5 Removing Medical disposable gloves Procedure

Remove medical disposable gloves as soon as possible if they become damaged or contaminated
and remove them after you have completed the task that required gloves. Gloves should also be
removed before leaving the work area.
Do not wash and reuse your gloves. Use new gloves for each new task or if you puncture or
tear a glove.
Follow these steps to make sure your hands do not contact any blood or body fluids left on used gloves:
With both hands gloved, grasp the outside of one glove at the top of
the wrist.
Peel off this glove from wrist to fingertips while turning it inside out,
as you pull the glove off your hand and away from you.
Hold the glove you just removed in your gloved hand.

With the ungloved hand peel off the second glove by inserting your
fingers on the inside of the glove at the top of your wrist.
Turn the glove inside out while tilting it away from you, leaving the
first glove inside the second.
Dispose of the entire bundle promptly in a medical disposable garbage bag.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible after removing gloves
and before touching non-contaminated objects and surfaces.
42
4.2.6 Hand Washing Procedures

Hand washing is one of the best defenses against spreading infections. It helps you to avoid
transferring infectious materials from your hands to others. There is a specific technique that
will improve the effectiveness of hand washing in reducing the spread of infectious diseases.
The use of gloves does not eliminate the need for hand washing. Effective hand washing
procedures include the following tips (refer to diagram on the following page):
> Remove excessive jewellery to allow for effective hand washing;
> Always wet the hands before applying cleanser;
> Apply sufficient cleanser to produce a good lather and rub your hands together to
create friction over all the surfaces for about 20 to 30 seconds;
> Rinse your hands thoroughly under warm running water;
> Dry your hands with disposable towels; and,
> Use the towels to turn off the taps to prevent re-contaminating your hands and
discard the towels in appropriate waste container.
Remember to always wash your hands after performing the following job duties:
> After using the toilet;
> After blowing/wiping the nose or covering a sneeze or cough;
> Before eating, handling, preparing or serving foods;
> When your hands are visibly soiled;
> After handling or touching potentially contaminated items;
> Before and after direct contact with patients and animals;
> After removing personal protective equipment;
> Immediately after removing medical disposable
gloves, even if the gloves appear
to be intact;
> Immediately, when you tear a glove or think a
glove is leaking;
> Immediately after accidental contact, or
potential contact with a biohazardous material;
and
> Before leaving work at the end of the day.
At remote worksites, as a first procedure, use a waterless hand cleaner that contains a
disinfectant.
43
Palm to Palm Right palm over back left hand & vice versa
Interlace fingers of right hand Rotational rubbing, backwards & forwards with
over left and vice versa clasped fingers of right hand in left palm.
Change hands & repeat
Rotational rubbing of right thumb Grasp left wrist with right and work
clasped in left palm, change hands cleanser into skin, then vice versa
& repeat
4.2.7 Garbage Handling Procedures

These safety procedures should be followed to prevent contact with contaminated sharps
improperly disposed of in the garbage:
1. Handle garbage as little as possible;
2. Be alert. If possible, look for needles or other sharps objects sticking out of bags. Listen
for broken glass when you move the bag;
3. Do Not compress garbage or reach into garbage with your bare hands;
4. Do not use your bare hands to pick up garbage that has spilled out of an overflowing
container. Wear puncture resistant and liquid resistant gloves (type worn by fire
fighters), or other tools designed for picking up garbage;
5. Do hold garbage bags by the top and away from your body;
6. Do not hold garbage bags against your body; and
7. Do not place one hand under the bag to support it.
Do not let garbage bags get too full. Leave enough space at the top of the bag so that
when you grab it, you grab only the top of the bag and not any of the garbage in the bag.
44
4.2.8 Laundry Procedures

The risk for disease transmission from soiled linen is extremely low, even when it may be
contaminated with pathogens found in blood or other body fluids. Isolating the laundry and
minimizing manual handling prevents exposure to contaminated laundry. The following
guidelines should be followed to reduce employee exposure to contaminated laundry:
1. Contaminated laundry should be isolated from the rest of the linen and bagged
separately.
2. Contaminated laundry should be sent directly to the commercial laundry room and not
be handled or rinsed at its original location.
3. Contaminated laundry should be handled as little as possible and only by those

employees wearing appropriate gloves (PPE).
4. If the laundry is wet, then leak-proof bags or containers are needed to prevent
external leakage.
5. Contaminated laundry must be labeled or colour coded laundry bags can be used as long
as the laundry staff are using standard precautions.
6. Soiled linen including used linen bags should be washed with detergent in hot water at
least 71 C for 25 minutes. If lower temperatures are used, then washing should be done
with appropriate concentration of cold water and low temperature detergents, which
may include bleach.
7. The employer is required to notify dry cleaner’s operators in writing to the identify any
items that could pose a hazard to the workers handling contaminated laundry, the
nature of the hazard and general precautions to follow when handling the
contaminated laundry.
8. Employees working in public service laundry facilities are to be trained in:

> standard precautions,
> awareness of biohazards from contaminated laundry,
> the need to watch for sharps, and
> how to safely dispose of these items if found.
45
4.2.9 Labels and Disposal of Material Procedures

There are very few BC Public Service workplaces where labeling materials are required
beyond having a biohazard label on sharps disposal containers as required by WHMIS.
Sharp edged wastes such as broken glass should be disposed of in sharps containers or
placed in other separate, puncture-proof waste containers with the contents clearly label
(e.g. broken glassware).
OHS Regulation 6.37 (4) Labels

Laundry or waste material that is contaminated with a known or suspected bloodborne pathogen
is exempt from labels if
a) All such material is handled using universal precautions, and
b) An alternate and equally effective system of hazard identification, such as
distinctive-coloured bagging is used.
All materials contaminated with a known or suspected bloodborne pathogen are exempt
from labels if handled by employees following universal precautions. Medical disposable
gloves should be worn when handling soiled bandages from first aid treatments and soiled or
bloody clothing.
Wet contaminated laundry may require double bagging and/or plastic liners to prevent
leakage during transportation and to prevent spills of blood or body fluids. There are
disposable liners available that dissolve when washed. This process reduces the need to
handle soiled laundry and reduces the risk of exposure.
Clothing that is soiled with blood or other body fluids needs to be handled with gloves and
placed in double bags before washing in hot soapy water. Facilities need to identify this soiled
laundry separately from normal laundry by specific methods such as coloured leak proof bags
or other labels indicating biohazard materials. This alerts employees to the potential hazard
and indicates the need for special handling (e.g. wearing appropriate gloves).
General Disposal Containers

Disposal of used first aid supplies simply involves double
plastic bagging and placing in routine garbage for
disposal. All sharps need to be safely disposed in
puncture proof waste containers.
Sharps disposal containers have specific criteria for

prevention of injury. These containers should be impact
resistant, leak and puncture-resistant, have overfill
warnings, intake and closure characteristics, be free
standing and easy to handle with identification through colour and labeling for biohazardous
materials.
Biomedical Wastes
Disposal of biomedical waste is best handled by a biohazardous waste company or incineration.
46
Labels and Waste Disposal – Facilities and Laboratories

Special procedures may be needed for known or suspected biohazardous material from animal
or environmental sources such as water, soil or plants and animal tissue specimens. Blood
bank supplies and laboratory specimens also need specific labeling.
Laboratories that handle diagnostic specimens are required to meet three conditions in
identifying the specimen as a biohazardous organism. These conditions are:
1. The label contains a sample identifier such as a number or code and the risk group
number (2, 3, or 4);
2. The specimen is identified as being biohazardous by means of a biohazard symbol or

equivalent; and
3. The label contains enough information to allow for immediate contact with a medical
professional providing the sample in cases of emergency.
Labels need to alert employees to the biohazardous materials hazard and also protects the
client’s privacy, identity and ensure confidentiality. This is maintained by using a code or
sample identifier instead of the person’s name. The label illustrated below shows the simple
requirement needed before transport and how the WHMIS biohazardous requirements are to
be met by facilities.
Biohazardous Product Specimen Label

Blood Sample (product identifier) Risk Group 2 (Risk group)
JD54028 (sample identifier)
Ordering Physician: Dr. A. B. Jones Biohazard WHMIS Symbol
(Emergency Contact Person) or label Biohazard
Labels for Diagnostic Specimens

The supplier is considered to be the person, usually a physician who orders the sample of
blood or body fluids to be collected. Labeling must ensure confidentiality and provide a
system such as a code number in order that the specimen container is separated from the
source information.
Depending on the workplace, sources of biohazardous materials in containers may be from

humans, animals or environmental specimens such as water, soil or plants.
Biomedical Wastes
The disposal of biohazardous waste materials are to be carried out in accordance with federal,
provincial and local regulations as specified under WCB OHS Regulation section 6.36(5).
Federal regulations refer to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG).
Provincial regulations include the WCB HS Regulation, BC Waste Management Act, WHMIS
(Workplace Hazardous Material Information System) and other special waste regulations.
47
Local biohazardous waste relates to Regional Districts, City and Municipality by-laws.
Biomedical wastes include human anatomical wastes such as body parts, animal wastes,
microbiology wastes, human blood and body fluid wastes, and waste sharps.
Untreated biomedical wastes can be incinerated as a method of disposal. Specific disposal

procedures for biomedical wastes should be site specific and reflect local options for disposal.
The easiest method is to disinfect contaminated surfaces and dispose of disinfected
biomedical materials as regular garbage.
Local workplaces with biomedical wastes that need special disposal procedures should
arrange for incineration or disposal from waste disposal companies with service contracts.
4.2.10 Gardening and outside work procedures

When work involves picking up refuse, weeding and flowerbed preparation, or using a grass
trimmer there is always a hazard from discarded needles and syringes.
> Check your work area carefully for discarded needles.
> Use the written procedures and appropriate equipment to pick up discarded needles.
> Avoid picking up litter using hands: use tongs, shovel, rake or (if necessary) heavy
leather gloves.
> Use tools like rakes or shovels when clearing debris from shrubs
and flower beds.
> Do not reach into areas that you cannot see.
> Keep litterbags light and ½ full and carry them away from
the body and avoid contacting legs with the bag.
> Do not push more litter into the bag and do not remove
litter from the bag.
> Do not try to compress bags of litter.
48
5 Infectious Diseases and Health Effects

5.1 Putting Occupational Exposure Risk into Perspective
Risk of exposure to infectious diseases is a genuine concern for many employees. Proper
education and training is essential to assist employees in prevention and post exposure
management.
About 80% of all accidental exposures to blood come from needle stick injuries. Recapping
practises are the cause of 70% of these accidental exposures. However, even following an
accidental exposure to a needle stick injury, the actual risk for developing HIV or Hepatitis
infection remains very small.
Work exposure accounts for less than 1% of all reported cases of AIDS
The risk for infection after an exposure incident to infected blood and body fluids due
to a needle puncture is1:
> Up to 30% for Hepatitis B (3 in 10)
> Up to 10% for Hepatitis C (1 in 10)
> Up to 0.3% for AIDS (3 in 1000)
Serious infectious diseases from animal vectors like rabies or hanta virus have an exceptionally
small risk for public service employees considering the numbers of citizens in wilderness areas
and the number of cases seen. At the date of publication, there have only been six cases of
Hantavirus2 ever recorded in BC and two deaths from rabies in BC since 1985 with only 6
deaths in all of Canada since the 1960s.3
5.2 Blood Borne Pathogens

> Hepatitis B
> Hepatitis C
> HIV/AIDS Virus
5.2.1 Health Effects of Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B Infection
Hepatitis B infection is a disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) which attacks the
liver and can lead to serious illness, and sometimes death. It can cause permanent liver
damage and scarring resulting in chronic liver disease or liver cancer.
1 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/Hepatitis_c/pdf/careGuideWomen/occupation.html
2 http://www.bccdc.org/topic.php?item=79
3 http://www.bccdc.org/news.php?item=60
49
Transmission of Hepatitis B
HBV can be transmitted (contracted) by an infected person’s blood or body fluids entering
another person’s body. It is recognized that some job tasks may place an employee at risk of
being accidentally exposed to blood and or body fluids in the performance of his/her duties.
The virus can also be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact and through sharing
needles/injection drug use.4
Blood or any blood tinged bodily fluids are known to transmit the virus when they contact
another person’s open wound, broken skin (open sores, eczema), mucous membranes,
puncture wound or cut. Other fluids such as uterine/vaginal fluids or semen are also capable
of transmitting the virus.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B Infection

Hepatitis B symptoms usually manifest themselves in 2-3 months, although it can take as
little as 6 weeks and as long as 6 months for the infected person to develop signs of illness,
which may be mild or none at all. Initial symptoms usually are gradual with
decreased appetite, tenderness in the upper right side of the stomach area,
nausea and vomiting. Sometimes people experience arthritic like
symptoms and a rash.
Patients with advanced Hepatitis disease have dark colored urine, clay
colored stools, and a yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice).
Fever may be absent or mild. Regardless of severity, all people are
infectious.
Most people who become infected with HBV recover within 1-6 months but
about 5-10% never fight off the virus. Infected individuals who are unable to
get rid of the virus and remain infectious despite having no symptoms of the
disease. They are called chronic Hepatitis B carriers and have an increased risk of dying
prematurely of either cirrhosis or liver cancer.5
Risk of Infection
The greatest risk of infection from blood or body fluids infected by HBV is from puncture
wounds or deep cuts. The risk of HBV transmission is lower for splashes on open sores or
broken skin (rash), and lowest for mucous membrane exposures.6 Non-bloody saliva on intact
skin or on mucous membranes (eyes, mouth) is not considered to be a significant exposure.
The risk of being infected with HBV from a needle stick exposure is about 30%. The risk
of developing chronic HBV after a needle stick injury is almost zero in those who have
been immunized.
4 http://www.bccdc.org/topic.php?item=59, http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile25a.stm
5 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/fact.htm
6 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/03vol29/dr2924ea.html
50
Personal Protection
The best protection is safe work practices, and being immunized against Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B vaccination is provided to all employees whose job tasks place them at risk of
occupational exposure to Hepatitis B.
Employees are encouraged to have their blood tested 6-8 weeks after their third Hepatitis B
vaccination in order to confirm protection has been achieved, the results of this test are sent
in confidence to Occupational Health Programs. Only those employees who did not achieve
adequate protection are notified by Occupational Health Programs and advised to repeat the
series of vaccinations.
5.2.2 Health Effects of Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C infection is a disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) which, like HBV,
causes inflammation of the liver and can progress to serious illness. Although rare, HCV can
cause sudden serious illness resulting in death. A small number of people have mild illness
and recover in 6 months. The majority of people with HCV acquire chronic HCV infection
and 20-30 years later develop serious liver disease (cirrhosis or liver cancer).
Transmission of Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is transmitted (contracted) by an infected person’s blood or body fluids entering
another person’s body contracted by one’s blood being in direct contact with HCV infected
blood or body fluids. HCV is primarily spread through non-occupational activities, mainly
injection drug users sharing needles (even one-time users), and/or related equipment
including straws for snorting cocaine.
Other activities that create a higher risk of contracting

HCV include:
> unsafe sex with multiple partners;
> ear/body piercing, tattooing with unsterile needles;
> sharing personal hygiene materials such as razors,
toothbrushes, or dental floss with a person who has
HCV and;
> mothers can pass HCV to their child at birth, and
possibly by breastfeeding if the mother’s nipples are
cracked and bleeding.
Although sexual transmission of HCV between married couples is uncommon, using a

condom is advisable at menstruation. Since June 1990 all donated blood in Canada is tested
for HCV. As a result, there is now almost no risk of contracting HCV from a blood
transfusion in this country.
Symptoms of Hepatitis C Infection

Symptoms of HCV infection usually appear between 2 weeks to 6 months following the
initial HCV infection. The symptoms are often “flu-like” and can include:
> feeling tired;
51
> suffering joint pain;

> stomach discomfort;
> no appetite;
> nausea and vomiting and;
> some people may develop jaundice (a yellow colour to their eyes and skin).
About 90% of initial infections are asymptomatic, and 50% to 80% will develop into chronic
Hepatitis C. Fifteen to 25% of people with Hepatitis C may recover. Ten percent to 20% of
those with chronic infection will develop severe liver diseases. Reference: Prevention and
Control of Occupational Infections in Health Care. Canada Communicable Disease Report.
Volume: 2851 March 2002. page 162
Risk of Infection
It is recognized that in the performance of their duties some employees are at risk of
accidental exposure to blood and body fluids per a puncture wound (needle stick), cuts,
splash onto an open wound, broken skin, or mucous membranes. The risk of contracting
Hepatitis C from an occupational exposure to HCV infected blood or body fluids is
dependant upon the type of exposure, the amount of blood involved in the exposure and the
amount of virus in the infected person’s blood. Research indicates there is a less than 5% risk
of getting Hepatitis C from an occupational needle stick or cut exposure to HCV infected
blood or body fluids.7
Personal Protection
There is no vaccination to protect against Hepatitis C.
The best protection is safe work practices.
Post-Exposure Treatment Guidelines

In the event of an occupational exposure to blood and body fluids, the employee’s baseline
blood tests include anti-HCV (antibodies to HCV). In order to ensure if
one has/not contracted Hepatitis C, follow-up blood tests are done
three months and twelve months. HCV infected people are
advised to get immunized for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.
Although limited, there is recent evidence that indicates early
treatment of newly HCV infected persons may be helpful in
preventing chronic HCV infection.
7 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/hepatitis_c/pdf/careGuideWomen/occupation.html
52
Summary Health Effects Hepatitis B and C
Infectious Disease Transmission Route Health Effects/Outcomes
Hepatitis B (HBV) Even tiny quantities of infected Short term-acute swelling of liver
blood can result in infection. occurs in most people infected.
Direct contact through a Long lasting chronic Hepatitis
puncture wound from occurs in about 10% of people
contaminated sharps or needle infected.
stick injury.
Permanent liver damage and
Contact through unprotected sex. cirrhosis can result.
Direct contact with broken skin About 1% of infected people die
(abrasions, burns, rashes). from this disease.
Contamination of mucosal More than half of Hepatitis B
surfaces, (eye splash or by mouth) infections occur and pass without
with infected blood or body fluids any noticeable symptoms.
visibly contaminated with blood.
Symptoms often include
discomfort, fatigue, lack of
appetite, skin rash or possible
nausea, vomiting or other flu-like
symptoms.
Hepatitis C(HCV) Mostly through IV drug use and Similar to Hepatitis B but the
needle stick exposure. majority develop chronic infection
and most have no symptoms until
Transfusion prior to the mid 90’s.
they have serious liver disease.
(At time of this publication) 2% of
the provincial population is a
chronic HCV carrier.
5.2.3 Health Effects of HIV/AIDS

What is it?
The letters in “AIDS” stand for Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome. It is a very serious
disease. People get AIDS from a virus called HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus). This
virus harms the immune system, which protects people against infections. Because people
with AIDS do not have this protection, they can get many different infections and cancers,
and may die of these.
How can you get AIDS?

AIDS can be contracted by direct contact with HIV infected blood or bloody body fluids.
The most common way of contracting HIV is though injection drug use or high-risk sexual
behavior, the latter because the virus can be carried into the body in semen, vaginal fluids, or
blood. At work the most common cause of contracting the virus is by needle stick
injuries, cuts with sharp instruments, exposure to mucous membranes (e.g. splashes in
eyes and mouth) or through open skin lesions. The risk of being infected with HIV from a
needle stick exposure is 0.3% (1/300). Employees can get AIDS only if the virus gets into
their body.
53
How can you NOT get AIDS?

There are many misconceptions about the transmissibility of AIDS. Employees cannot get HIV
from other people except by direct contact with their blood or infectious body fluids. Employees
cannot get HIV from touching, shaking hands, or hugging a person who has AIDS.
How is an HIV infection Determined?

There is a blood test for HIV. It is called the HIV antibody test. If a person has been infected
with HIV, their body makes antibodies against it. In the event of an occupational blood and
body fluid exposure, the employee will have this blood test done (as a base line) in the
Hospital Emergency Department and advised to have follow-up HIV testing at 6 weeks,
3 months, 6 months and 12 months. Any person with HIV antibodies is infected.
If the HIV test result is POSITIVE, it means the person is infected with HIV.
If the test result is NEGATIVE, it probably means the person does not have the HIV
antibodies. Unfortunately, HIV antibodies can take 12 weeks or longer to show up. So the
test can be negative, and a person can still have the virus if recently
infected. If there is a chance an employee has only recently been
infected, the only way to be sure that there is no HIV infection is
to have the follow-up HIV testing as advised: at 6 weeks, 3
months,
6 months and 12 months.
AIDS is the last stage of the HIV infection. People who have AIDS
become increasingly ill and may often die.
In the event of an occupational exposure to blood or body fluids it is very important that the
employee gets to the local Hospital Emergency Department as soon as possible after exposure,
preferably within 2 hours. Studies indicate that early treatment with antiretroviral medication
reduces the risk of HIV transmission. Antiretroviral medications are not routinely administered
if a worker is pricked by an abandoned needle since the medication is quite toxic. Antiviral
medications have some serious side effects that include liver failure and death.
There is no vaccine for HIV. There are drugs that may be administered after a person has
been exposed to blood and body fluids to lower the risk of HIV infection. AIDS experts
believe that taking these drugs for a month after an exposure reduces the risk of becoming
infected by about 80%.8 There is no cure for these bloodborne diseases. Prevention
procedures in the workplace are the most effective method for protecting employees against
these infections.
8 http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/cdn_medical_association/cmaj/vol-156/issue-2/0233.htm
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/96vol22/dr2207ec.html
54
Summary of Health Effects HIV/AIDS
AIDS Found in blood, semen and People with HIV develop

(Acquired Immune Deficiency vaginal secretions. associated infections:
Syndrome) > Pneumonia
Unprotected high risk sexual
> Cancer
behaviour.
> Tuberculosis
Contaminated needles (sharing > Herpes viruses
contaminated needles or syringes > Yeast infection
with an infected person).
Through infected blood or blood Symptoms include:
products (since 1985 all blood or > Fever
blood products are screened for > Night sweats
HIV). > Inflammation of lymph node
> Weight loss
Direct exposure by needle stick
> Chronic diarrhea
injuries, cuts with sharp
> Fatigue
instruments, exposure through
mucous membrane (e.g. splashes
in eyes and mouth) or through Many people infected with HIV
open skin lesions. remain healthy for months or
even years.
5.3 Respiratory Diseases

> Tuberculosis
5.3.1 Health Effects of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable disease that is transmitted when a person with active
TB growing in their lungs expels the TB germs into the air by coughing or sneezing. This type
of TB is called pulmonary (lung) TB. TB can also occur as non pulmonary (outside the lung)
TB. This type of TB is not transmitted by coughing or sneezing. Risk of infection is
contingent on several variables: duration of contact, proximity of contact, infectiousness of
the infected person, and the amount of ventilation in the room.
A the time of publication, the number of cases of active tuberculosis in BC was quite low. A
person can have a TB infection, not feel sick and not be infectious to others. This is because
the person’s immune system prevents the TB germs from growing. A person with TB disease
is infectious to others when the germs are actively growing in the lungs.
Although TB infections can occur in other parts of the body, (bones, glands, kidneys, joints
etc.) transmission of TB to others from these areas is unlikely in the workplace.
If a person has a TB infection there is a 5 to 10 percent chance of them developing the

disease and becoming infectious to others. However, if one’s immune system is weakened the
risk for developing active disease increases. A person who is HIV positive and becomes
infected with TB has a 50% chance of developing active TB disease.
55
TB is a reportable disease by law and each case is investigated and managed under public
health policies established by TB Control of the BC Centre of Disease Control (BCCDC). In
order to control further spread of the disease contacts are notified of their risks of infection
and provided post-exposure screening and treatment as necessary.
An occupational exposure to TB is where there is a possibility of TB transmission occurring

when an employee is sharing the same room air with a person who has infectious TB of the
lungs. Persons who have prolonged close exposure to an individual with infectious TB of the
lungs are at greater risks to becoming infected. Good room air ventilation with 6 air
exchanges per hour reduces the risk of such inadvertent exposure.
Employee Populations at Risk for TB

The TB screening programs are based on populations at risk. TB Control
recommends that all health care employees, sheriffs and correctional
officers be screened on hiring to establish baseline data in order to
facilitate contact screening when necessary. Employees who work in the
following occupations may be part of a TB screening program:
> Employees in licensed Community Care Facilities (Adult and
Child);
> Employees in Health Care Facilities (hospitals);
> Public Service Employees (Correctional Officers, Sheriffs,
Community /Public Health Nurses/Home Care Nurses and Social
Service Workers); and
> Employees who come into contact with an active case of tuberculosis.
Screening for TB
Correctional Officers and sheriffs are the only group of BC Public Service employees required
to submit documentation of baseline TB screening as part of their pre-placement assessment.
This is a one-time procedure on hiring for these employees whose duties involve close
contact with patients or clients belonging to sub-populations having an increased incidence
of TB. Further testing of employees is only done as advised by TB Control or Public Health.
Provincial correctional facilities are considered different from federal correctional facilities,
due in part to the relatively short stay category in provincial facilities. In BC between 1989
and 1997, 10 cases of active TB were reported in inmates and no cases in correctional
officers. Currently in provincial correctional facilities, each inmate on entry has a history and
physical examination. Tuberculosis screening is only done with cause.
TB Control is responsible for recommendations for post exposure TB screening and

management of those persons identified as being infected.
Exposure to TB
When TB Control/Public Health advises a workplace of a known exposure to active pulmonary
TB all employees must be notified of this occupational exposure and post-exposure TB screening
must be made available for those employees. Supervisors should report this event to the WCB.
56
Although participation in post-exposure screening is not compulsory, employees are strongly

encouraged to participate in order to prevent the risk of developing TB disease if infected. TB skin
testing can be done by the Public Health Unit or through the TB Chest Clinic in your region.
Post exposure screening consists of each contact being interviewed by a medical health
professional that will administer the Tuberculin skin test and read it 48 to 72 hours later.
Documentation of the health professional’s interpretation of the reaction to the skin test is
recorded on an official TB screening form and a copy provided to the employee. Exclusion of
an individual from TB skin testing will be determined by the medical health professional
during the initial interview with the employee.
Why is a tuberculin skin test used?

A person can have TB germs in their lungs and not feel ill. The skin test is one way to find
out if you have had a TB infection. Other methods of medical assessment include a chest
x-ray or a laboratory test completed on sputum (spit) coughed up from the lungs.
How is the skin test done?

This is a two-part test. The first part of the TB test is an intradermal (under the skin)
injection where a small amount of a harmless test substance is placed on your forearm. The
reaction you may get from this is a raised area around the site of the injection. If the area gets
itchy do not scratch it. Applying a cold cloth or ice cube will help reduce the itchiness.
The second part of the skin test is to measure the response in 2 to 3 days time to determine if
a positive or negative reaction to the skin test occurred. The measurement must be done by a
qualified medical health professional. If the second part is not completed, the skin test is of
no value.
What do the test results mean?

A negative skin reaction to the test means that you probably do not have TB germs in your
body. You may be asked to have a repeat skin test again in six to eight weeks from when you
have had contact with someone with TB disease. This is because it takes 2 to 10 weeks for
your body to show sensitivity to TB, which indicates an infection.
If a skin test is positive it means that you have TB germs in your body. If you have a positive
skin test you will have to have more tests done in order to determine which category you fall
into. A chest x-ray will be done to see if the lungs are affected. If the x-rays are abnormal, or
you are feeling sick, you will be asked to give sputum (spit) sample to test for TB germs.
Vaccination for TB
You may have had a vaccination, known as a BCG vaccination against TB, when you were a
child. If you have a positive skin test there may be a chance that it is a result of the
vaccination but it is unlikely that your reaction to the skin test would be large, as the effect
of this vaccination decreases over time.9
9 http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile51b.stm
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A BCG vaccination which is more than fifteen years old has lost its ability to stimulate a
positive skin test.
What is the treatment of TB Disease?

The good news is TB can be treated and cured. Following assessment and diagnosis of active
TB the doctor will order medication to kill the TB germs.
If you do develop active TB you must be treated in order to cure the disease and also to
prevent you from spreading the TB disease to family and friends.
Treatment consists of taking several types of medication for 6 to 9 months. All the testing
and medication are provided to you free of charge.
Management of an Active TB Case

In the event of an employee being exposed to active TB in the public service, co-ordination
of tuberculin screening of the staff would be handled by the public health services,
Occupational Health Programs and the management of the facility of work location.
Occupational Health Programs must be notified of the occupational exposure.
TB is a reportable disease and TB Control/Public Health investigates each case. Contacts are
notified of the exposure and risk of infection. Employees are provided with post exposure
screening and follow-up.
How can transmission of TB be reduced?

A person with active tuberculosis remains infectious for the 2 to 3 weeks after they start
medication treatment. To reduce spreading TB germs to others it is important that the
person does the following:
> Cover the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing or laughing;
> Use disposable tissue when coughing and discard these in the waste basket;
> Maintain good room ventilation which is helpful in reducing transmission of these air
borne TB germs;
> Avoid close contact with other people; and
> Start treatment medications and take as prescribed for as long as required. Treatment
can be as long as 6 to 9 months.
TB Records
Records on TB screening results are kept by Occupational Health
Programs for as long as the employee is working in the public
service. Local health units will keep records and family doctors
will keep any positive test results on file. It is recommended that
employees keep their own personal copy of health screening results
from TB testing.
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Summary Health Effects of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (Pulmonary) Inhalation of airborne droplets Symptoms include fever, night

from sputum of persons infected sweats, dramatic weight loss,
with active lung or larynx cough and chest pain.
tuberculosis.
Left untreated, TB can infect
The droplets are spread when practically all organs and tissues of
infected person coughs, sneezes the body but is most often found
or talks. in the lungs where it can cause
destruction and scarring of lung
Employees who have prolonged
tissue and even death.
close exposure to individuals
with pulmonary tuberculosis are Often the initial infection goes
at greater risk of being infected unnoticed and individuals can be
with the TB germ. infected for many years without
becoming sick.
Direct invasion of TB bacteria
through mucous membranes or
breaks in the skin may occur but
is extremely rare.
5.4 Animal Vectors

> Hantavirus
> Rabies
> Lyme Disease
> Cryptosporidiosis
> Giardiasis
5.4.1 Health Effects of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a severe illness caused by a virus found in some rodents,
especially deer mice. The risk of catching Hantavirus is very low. Exposure most commonly
occurs from breathing in infected dust that contains the virus or by indirect contact with
infected materials or direct contact by bite or exposure to open wounds.
Risk
At the time of publication, less than 10 cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome have been
reported in BC since 199410 including two work-related cases, one near Williams Lake and
the other near Kamloops. Both of these work related cases appear to involve direct contact
with mice and their droppings. Other (non-BC) cases have been associated with these work
activities:
> Sweeping out a barn and other ranch buildings, trapping or studying mice, and
disturbing rodent infested areas;
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> Using compressed air and dry sweeping to clean wood waste in a saw mill;
> Handling grain contaminated with mouse droppings and urine; and,
> Planting or harvesting field crops.
Pre Exposure Procedures

Clean up procedures must be performed in such a way that minimizes the amount of airborne
dust created. Wearing a dust mask will prevent inhalation of airborne particles that may be
raised. Prior to cleaning up, spray liquid disinfectant solutions to both wet down the area
visibly contaminated with mouse droppings (and thereby reduce airborne dust), as well as kill
surviving microorganisms.
Prevention
PPE (personal protective equipment) is required to protect employees who clean barns and
other outbuildings or who may come into contact with rodents. These employees should
wear a disposable dust mask that has been approved by NIOSH for dusts and mists
(N-95, N-99 or N-100 masks). These disposable masks must have an approval
number indicated. They are inexpensive and readily available from safety
suppliers.
Transmission can also occur when contaminated material gets into broken
skin or ingested from contaminated food or water. Gloves must be worn
during work in any area at risk of contaminated dust. Employees are
advised to always wash their hands following work activities.
To avoid risk of inhaling infected dust particles use the following procedure:
(1) Wear PPE (put on a dust mask and disposable medical gloves) before proceeding with
work task.
(2) Spray disinfectant (100 mls of household bleach per litre of water) to wet down and
disinfect visibly contaminated areas.
(3) Scoop up wet disinfected materials, double bag in plastic bags and dispose as infected
biohazardous wastes. It is preferable to burn or bury contaminated material but normal
biohazardous waste material disposal is acceptable.
(4) Clean the contaminated area. Place dead rodents in a bucket of household
disinfectant (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) for 30 minutes before burning or burying
the bodies. If unable to burn or bury them following 30 minutes disinfecting, place
bodies in triple wrapped plastic bags before discarding in domestic garbage or treat as
a biohazardous waste.
(5) Disinfect traps after dead animals have been removed.
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Hantavirus Risk Control Program

Employees performing these types of work activities require a specific Hantavirus risk control
program which can be found in the publication “A Hantavirus Risk Control Program for
Employers and Workers”11 available from the WCB website. Ministries may need to implement
a respiratory protection program under specific exposure conditions.
Summary Health Effects of Hantavirus
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Inhalation of airborne virus in Acute illness.

(virus) excreted urine, residue faces, and
Flu-like symptoms.
saliva from infected deer mice and
other wild rodents. Chills, fever, muscle aches.
Direct contact (bite) or indirect Illness rapidly progresses to
contact from touching something pulmonary edema with lungs
that is contaminated with infected filling with fluids.
rodent urine, droppings, or saliva
Requires immediate treatment in
and then touching your nose
intensive care.
and/or mouth.
52% mortality rates.
Eating food or water that is
contaminated with infected No cure/symptomatic treatment
rodent saliva, urine or droppings. only.
5.4.2 Health Effects of Rabies

What is rabies?
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus. It is transmitted through saliva (spit), usually by an
animal bite. This disease affects a person’s nervous system, including the brain.
Symptoms include headache, fever, increasing difficulty in swallowing, excessive drooling,

muscle spasm or weakness, and strange behavior. If not treated in time, rabies kills almost all
of its victims.
How is it spread?
Most humans get infected after being bitten by an infected animal. Dog bites
cause most human rabies in developing countries. Wild animals, domestic pets
and farm animals have all been known to carry the disease. In British
Columbia, the most common species that carries rabies is bats. In fact, up to
10 percent of bats from BC submitted for testing following human contact,
have been infected with rabies.
This does not mean that 10 percent of all bats in BC are infected – most bats submitted for
testing are tested because they are dead, or sick, or acting strangely (and therefore more
likely to have rabies). The percentage of all bats in BC that are infected is much lower.
11 http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/Health_and_Safety_Information/by_topic/assets/pdf/hantavirus.pdf
61
Where in BC is rabies a problem? Bats with rabies have been found throughout BC. You
should suspect any bat of being a potential source of rabies.
How common is rabies?

Rabies cases are rare, at the time of publication, BC has had two deaths since 1985 and there
have been 6 deaths in Canada since 1960.
Approximately 200 people a year in BC are treated for suspected exposure to the rabies
virus.12 All bat-associated bites, scratches and physical exposures are considered dangerous.
It is rare in British Columbia to catch the rabies virus through bites from other animals, but
keep in mind that strange behaviour in pets and other animals may mean they have rabies.
Animals with rabies often act very strangely. They may attack humans without reason.
Symptoms of rabies in animals include paralysis, especially of the hind limbs and throat
muscles. Some mammals may become aggressive. Rabid bats may appear normal except for a
gradual weakness and loss of flying ability.
What is the treatment?

If bitten or scratched by an animal that may have rabies, follow these procedures:
(1) Wash the wound well with soap and warm water for at least 5 minutes. This lessens the
chance of any infection.
(2) Seek medical attention right away. If treated in time, rabies

infections in humans can be cured or eliminated.
Two products are used to prevent a rabies infection:

> one dose of rabies immune globulin that helps to neutralize the
virus before it becomes established, plus one dose of Rabies
vaccine as soon as possible after exposure and then;
> 4 doses of rabies vaccine administered over the next 28 days
that helps your immune system to make antibodies against
the virus.
I think I might have been exposed?

It is crucial to begin treatment for possible rabies as soon as possible. Rabies typically takes
from 3-8 weeks before symptoms start.
If there is any chance that you may have been exposed to the rabies virus, contact your doctor
or your local public health office. They will be able to decide if you need rabies treatment.
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Cautionary Note: If an animal bites an employee, the head of that

animal may be needed for testing. If rabies is suspected, a
post-mortem examination of the animal’s brain can quickly show
whether or not it was rabid.
How can you prevent rabies?

Although human rabies is not a common disease, animal rabies occurs
in BC – and in other provinces and countries – and it can be fatal
when passed on to humans. The following suggestions will help
protect employees from rabies:
> If you do find a bat, dead or alive don’t touch it! The animal’s saliva (spit) or blood
through a cut on your hand or open sore can transmit the rabies virus, even if you’re
not actually bitten.
> If you find a dead bat out in the woods or away from populated areas, just leave it
where it is.
> If you are going to handle the bat pick it up with a stick, (wear appropriate medical
disposable gloves) and put it in a plastic bag. Put this bag in a second plastic bag and
seal it tight. Then put it in the garbage (unless prohibited by local by-law). After
disposing of the stick and medical disposable gloves wash your hands well with soap
and warm water for at least 5 minutes.
Summary Health Effects of Rabies
Rabies (virus) Animal bites (saliva of infected Tingling around the wound
animals).
Fatigue
Contact with body fluids and
Headaches
tissues of infected animals.
Fever
Cough
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Irritability, “furious rabies”
Coma
Paralysis
If not treated rabies kills almost all
of its victims
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5.4.3 Health Effects of Lyme Disease

Diseases spread by ticks
Several human diseases are caused from tick bites. The best known is Lyme disease. Others
include relapsing fever, Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), Q fever and
Ehrlichiosis. All of these diseases are rare in British Columbia. While most tick bites do not
result in disease, some do. Certain ticks may cause temporary paralysis. In all cases it is very
important to remove the whole tick. The ticks themselves do not cause the disease. They are
a vector for the microorganisms that live in the tick or infected animal they previously bit.
They are passing the micro-organism on to you as part of the life cycle of a parasite.
What Are ticks?

Ticks are like tiny spiders, about the size of a sesame seed, which feed on blood. Different ticks
prefer different types of animals. Sometimes a tick bites a person instead of their favorite animal.
Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas. They are easiest to spot when they are actually
sucking blood. Ticks burrow part way into the skin, bite, draw blood, then drop off. The
feeding tick’s mouth will be under the skin, but the back parts will be sticking out. They will
be full of blood and blue-grey in colour (this is called an “engorged” tick).
Lyme Disease
The organism, which causes Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), has been found in ticks
collected from many areas of BC, and health authorities now believe that Lyme Disease carrying
ticks may be present throughout the province. At the time of publication, in British Columbia
there have been over 60 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease. Of these, 20 cases had no record of
travel outside of the province, and are considered to have contracted the disease in BC.
What are the health effects of Lyme disease?

If you experience the following symptoms within days or weeks after being bitten by a tick
report them immediately to your family doctor.
> General symptoms of fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue or weakness of
the muscles of the face.
> Skin rash, especially one that looks like a “Bull’s Eye.” It may or may not be where the
bite was.
> In some cases paralysis may occur. The paralysis usually starts in the feet and legs and
gradually works its way up to the upper body, arms and head. This paralysis can
develop from within a few hours to several days after the bite.
> Tell your doctor when and where the tick bite occurred.
Not all ticks carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, and there is only a very small chance of
them giving it to employees. However, because the resulting disease can be serious, it is
worth taking steps to avoid being bitten.
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Treatment
Antibiotics are needed to prevent the complications from Lyme disease or another
tick-related disease.
Is there a vaccine?
At the time of publication, a vaccine to prevent Lyme disease has just been licensed in Canada.
This vaccine is most useful for people who spend a lot of time outdoors in high-risk areas like
the north-eastern United States. The vaccine is not 100% effective and will not prevent other
tick-borne diseases. Therefore, follow other protective measures to prevent illness.
Control Measures
Avoidance of ticks is the best prevention from contacting this disease. Ticks live in tall grass
and wooded areas. Employees who work out doors need to prevent exposure to ticks by
practicing the following procedures:
> Walk on cleared trails whenever possible and avoid tall grass and woods;
> Wear a hat;
> Wear light colour clothing, tuck your top into your pants and pants into your boots or
socks; then
> Put insect repellent containing DEET onto clothing and all uncovered skin. Reapply
as frequently as directed; and,
> Check clothing and scalp in a good light to check for ticks after leaving the area.
Removing Ticks
In removing ticks, the most important thing is to make sure that you remove all the tick,
including the mouthparts that are buried in your skin. Do Not Squeeze the body of the tick
when you are removing it. This can force its stomach contents into the wound and increase
the chance of infection.
If you have found a tick, you have three choices:
(1) Remove the tick yourself;
(2) Get someone else to remove the tick for you. (This is
when
you can’t reach it or see it clearly, for example if it’s on
your
scalp, or some other hard-to-reach place); or
(3) Get your family doctor to remove it.
How NOT to remove a tick!

Some people think you can remove a tick by covering it with grease, or gasoline, or some other
substance. This does NOT work! It only increases the chance of you getting an infection.
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Holding something hot (for example, a match or cigarette)

against the tick also does NOT work! Again, this will only
increase the chance of an infection from accidentally burning
yourself. If you decide to remove the tick yourself, follow the
instructions below.
When should you remove the tick?

You should remove the tick yourself as soon as possible, or get a friend
or family member to remove it right away, if the tick is not buried very
deep into your skin. If the tick has been on your skin for less than two hours, it
has probably not had a chance to burrow into your skin. If the tick is just on the surface of
your skin, or only biting on to the outside skin layer, you can remove it following the
instructions below.
When should you get a doctor to remove the tick?

You should go to your doctor to get the tick removed if it has buried itself deep into your
skin. This usually happens if the tick has been on you for several hours, or even a day or two.
When a tick has burrowed deep into your skin, it is very hard to remove the tick without
leaving some mouth parts behind, which can cause infection.
How to remove a tick

Remove the tick right away (if possible, wear medical disposable gloves when handling an
engorged tick):
> Use tweezers or forceps to gently get a hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible.
Don’t touch the tick with your hands.
> Without squeezing the tick, steadily lift it straight off the skin. Avoid jerking it out.
Try to make sure that all of the tick is removed.
> Once the tick has been removed, clean the bite area with soap and water then
disinfect the wound with antiseptic cream. Wash hands with soap and water.
> If possible, save the tick in a container with a tight fitting top. If the tick is alive,
dampen a small cotton ball and put it into the tick container to keep the tick alive.
(A live tick is necessary for culturing the bacterium, which causes Lyme disease.)
> Label the container with date, name and address of person bitten, what part of the
body was bitten, and what part of the province the tick came from. Also, include the
name and address of family physician.
> If person bitten experiences signs and symptoms you can provide this container to
her/his physician. Her/his doctor will then send it away for testing.
> If uncertain, ask her/his doctor for advice.
For laboratory testing, this container should be mailed as soon as possible to:
BC Centre for Disease Control
Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory
655 West 12th Ave
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4
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Summary Health Effects Lyme Disease
Lyme disease caused by Borrelia Tick bites General symptoms of fever

burgdorferi headache, muscle and joint pain
or weakness of the muscles of the
face.
Skin rashes, especially one that
looks like a “Bulls-Eye.”
In some cases paralysis may
occur, with symptoms starting in
the feet and working its way up
the body to the head.
5.4.4 Health Effects of Cryptosporidiosis

What is Cryptosporidiosis?
Cryptosporidiosis is an infection of the intestines caused by a very small micro-organism.
The disease is usually contracted by drinking contaminated water. In BC, drinking water
systems supplied from surface water sources (rain, creeks, rivers, lakes, etc.) are vulnerable to
contamination by the feces of infected animals.
What are the symptoms of Cryptosporidiosis?

Symptoms usually start anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the parasite, although
not everyone who is infected with it will feel sick. If symptoms do occur, they may include
frequent watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and mild fever.
Symptoms may come and go, and usually last fewer than 30 days in people who are otherwise
healthy. The infection may also last longer and be more serious in people whose immune
system is not working properly.
Get medical attention if the illness is severe or prolonged. Otherwise, your body’s defense
mechanisms will eventually rid you of the parasite.
How is it spread?
The parasite that causes Cryptosporidiosis is often found in the bowel movements (feces) of
infected humans and animals, including pets, livestock, poultry, or wild animals.
The infection can also be spread through tap water if the source for the tap
water has been contaminated. Current methods used to treat drinking
water do not always remove this very hardy parasite.
The infection can also be spread from hand to mouth (for example,
by touching an infected animal with your hands and not washing
your hands prior to eating).
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The parasite may also be spread by hand to mouth contact with items such as diapers or
bedding, which an infected person has used. This is possible because the parasite can live
outside of the body for several months under moist conditions.
How can I prevent getting Cryptosporidiosis?

Wash your hands well after touching farm animals, pets, or wild animals. This is especially
important before eating or preparing food.
Avoid drinking water directly from rivers, creeks or lakes, or when there is uncertainty about
whether or not the water has been properly treated.
Water treatment to safeguard against Cryptosporidiosis – Boiling

The following water treatment procedures should be used by employee’s using water from
surface sources.
At elevations over 2,500 meters (6,500 feet) boil water for at least two minutes to disinfect.
(Cautionary Note: this is not effective in purifying water that is obviously heavily polluted or
chemically contaminated). Boiling water for one minute at lower elevations may be sufficient
to disinfect.
This boiled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth, rinsing dentures or contact
lenses, making ice cubes, washing uncooked fruit and vegetables, and in recipes which require
water. Dishes, glasses and cutlery should be rinsed with water, which has been boiled.13
Cautionary Note: Iodine, chlorine and portable water filters are not
effective against this parasite, and should not be used to prevent
Cryptosporidiosis. See the footnote below for more information on
treating contaminated water.
13 http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile49b.stm
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Summary Health Effects Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidiosis is a parasite Contracted by drinking Some infected people do not feel

that infects the intestines contaminated water from rivers, sick.
creeks, lakes, swimming pools
Symptoms usually include
and hot tubs.
frequent watery diarrhea,
Infection can occur from tap stomach cramps, nausea and
water if the water source has vomiting and mild fever.
been contaminated.
Symptoms may come and go and
Parasite is found in feces of often last less than 30 days.
infected humans and animals
If you have a weakened immune
including pets, livestock, poultry
system, discuss your risk of
and wild animals.
contracting Cryptosporidiosis
Indirect contact with the parasite with your doctor.
has occurred from soiled diapers
or linen.
Unpasteurized dairy products
may also carry this parasite.
The parasite can live outside the
body for several months under
moist conditions.
5.4.5 Health Effects of Giardiasis

What is Giardiasis?
Giardiasis, often called “beaver fever,” is a stomach infection that employees can get from
drinking contaminated water or from close personal contacts with someone else who has it.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea (feeling sick) and/or vomiting,
weight loss, and feeling tired. These symptoms can last from one to three weeks. The
infection is caused by a microorganism giardia (Giardia lamblia).
How is it spread?
This disease is found all over the world. It is most common in the rural and wilderness areas of
Western Canada, where there is a lot of local wildlife. It is spread mostly through water that has
been contaminated by droppings from infected animals, including beavers and muskrats.
Hand-to-mouth transfer of the parasite commonly spreads it. As a result, a person can spread
it to others while preparing food. A person who is infected may not know
they are passing the infection on to others because they may not have
any symptoms.
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How can you avoid catching these diseases?

Untreated water may carry disease-causing parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Even backpackers
in the “pristine” wilderness areas of BC are at risk. It is always best to assume that surface
water contains some animal droppings and treat it accordingly.
Wash your hands well after touching farm animals, pets, or wild animals. This is especially
important before eating or preparing food.
The following water treatment procedures should be used by employee’s using water from
surface sources:
> The simplest treatment method is boiling: just bring the water to a boil for one minute
and then allow it to cool. At elevations over 2,500 meters (6,500 feet) you should boil
water for at least two minutes to disinfect. (Note: this is not effective in purifying
water that is obviously heavily polluted or chemically contaminated).
> This boiled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth, rinsing dentures, or
contact lenses, making ice cubes, washing uncooked fruit and vegetables, and in
recipes which require water. Dishes, glasses and cutlery should be rinsed with water
that has been boiled.
Cautionary note: Beaver fever (Giardiasis) and Cryptosporidium parasites are both resistant
to bleach. Water that was badly contaminated with these parasites to begin with may still
make you sick after bleach is added. If you think beaver fever or Cryptosporidium are in your
water, boiling is the best way to ensure safe drinking water.
What if you think you have a water-borne disease?

An employee with symptoms or concerns about water is recommended to have a medical
assessment for advice and treatment.
How can you prevent Giardiasis?

Prevention from contacting this parasite is by following these simple general hygiene and safe
water rules.
> Washing hands well after touching animals, pets or wild animals. Always wash hands
before preparing food;
> Avoid drinking water directly from rivers, creeks or lakes;
> Avoid uncooked food and drinks which have been prepared with
untreated water;
> Avoid unpasteurized milk or other unpasturized products; and
> Always boil potentially contaminated water for at least 2 minutes
before using.
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Summary Health Effects Beaver Fever (Giardiasis)
Giardiasis, also know as beaver Contracted from drinking water Symptoms include diarrhea,
fever, is an intestinal parasite contaminated with infected abdominal cramps, nausea and
infection common in rural and animal faces including beavers and vomiting, weight loss and fatigue
wilderness areas in western muskrats. which can last from one to three
Canada. weeks.
Contracted from close personal
contact with infected persons Infected people may have no
through hand to mouth transfer. symptoms and be unaware of this
infection.
Also found in domestic animals.
Disinfecting Untreated Water

Boil for at least 2 minutes before using
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6 Appendices
Appendix 1 – The BCGEU Master Agreement Article 22.12 contains provisions
regarding “Communicable Diseases”
Articles include 22.12(b):
“In respect of communicable diseases, the Provincial Joint Occupational Health and Safety
Committee consider, review and make recommendations to the Principals on issues including:
1. preventive protocol measures, including education, hygiene, protective equipment/apparel
and vaccinations;
2. post-exposure protocols;
3. measures necessary for the establishment of a work environment with minimal risk to
exposure or to infection by communicable disease.”
Article 22.12(d) states that:
“Where a communicable disease policy is established the local health and safety committee or
union designated safety representative shall be consulted regarding the worksite specific
application of this policy.”
Appendix 2 – Relevant sections of Section 5 and 6 of the Workers’ Compensation

Board of British Columbia Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
5.54 Exposure control plan
(1) An exposure control plan must be implemented when:
(a) exposure monitoring under section 5.53(3) indicates that a worker is or may be
exposed to an air contaminant in excess of 50% of its exposure limit,
(b) measurement is not possible at 50% of the applicable exposure limit, or
(c) otherwise required by this WCB OHS Regulation.
(2) The exposure control plan must incorporate the following elements:
(a) a statement of purpose and responsibilities,
(b) risk identification, assessment and control,
(c) education and training,
(d) written work procedures, when required,
(e) hygiene facilities and decontamination procedures, when required,
(f) health monitoring, when required,
(g) documentation, when required.
(3) The plan must be reviewed at least annually and updated as necessary by the employer,
in consultation with the Joint OHS Committee, if any, or the worker health and safety
representative, if any.
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— In sections 6.33 to 6.41
Definitions
“Biohazardous material” means a pathogenic organism, including a bloodborne pathogen,
which due to its known or reasonably believed ability to cause disease in humans, would
be classified as Risk Group II, III or IV as defined by the Medical Research Council of
Canada, or any material contaminated with such an organism;
“Occupational exposure” means reasonably anticipated harmful contact with blood or
other potentially biohazardous material that may result from the performance of a
worker’s duties.
“Safety-engineered needle” includes a self-sheathing needle device and a retractable
needle system.
6.34 Exposure control plan

The employer must develop and implement an exposure control plan meeting the
requirements of section 5.54, if a worker has or may have occupational exposure to a
bloodborne pathogen, or to other biohazardous material as specified by the board.
6.35 Risk identification

The employer must maintain a list of all job classifications and must identify all tasks and
procedures in which there is a potential for occupational exposure to a bloodborne pathogen,
or to other biohazardous material specified by the board.
6.36 Control procedures

(1) Engineering controls and work practice controls must be established to eliminate or
minimize the potential for occupational exposure to a bloodborne pathogen or other
biohazardous material.
(1.1) On and after January 1, 2008, when a hollow-bore needle is used in a workplace to
access a vein or artery for the purpose of collecting blood or caring for or treating a
person, the employer must ensure that
(a) if it is clinically appropriate, a safety-engineered needle that provides the highest
level of protection from a needlestick injury is used, or a needleless device is used
in place of a hollow-bore needle, and
(b) safe work procedures and practices relating to the use of those safety-engineered
needles or needleless devices are implemented.
(2) Personal protective equipment must be worn to shield workers from biohazardous
material.
(3) Housekeeping practices must be designed to keep the workplace clean and free from
spills of biohazardous material.
(4) Work procedures must ensure that laundry contaminated with biohazardous material is
isolated and bagged, and handled as little as possible.
(5) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
* Statutes or regulations covered by other jurisdictions apply to biohazardous materials.
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6.37 Labels and identification

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) to (4), a container of known or suspected
biohazardous material must have a label affixed which discloses the product identifier,
the name of the organism known or suspected to be present, information on the safe
handling of the material, or a biohazard symbol, and a reference to an MSDS for the
material if one has been prepared.
(2) A label on a diagnostic specimen of human body fluid or tissue that is known or
suspected to contain a biohazardous organism is exempt from subsection (1) if
(a) the label discloses a sample identifier, and the risk group number of any risk group
II, III, or IV organism, as defined by the Medical Research Council of Canada,
known or suspected to be present,
(b) the specimen is identified as biohazardous by use of a biohazard symbol or
equivalent means, and
(c) sufficient information is provided to enable immediate contact with the medical
professional providing the sample in the event of an emergency.
(3) If a container of known or suspected biohazardous material is too small to be labeled,
the employer is exempt from the requirements of subsections (1) and (2) if an
equivalent system of hazard communication is developed and implemented.
(4) Laundry or waste material that is contaminated with a known or suspected bloodborne
pathogen is exempt from subsections (1) and (2) if
(a) all such material is handled using universal precautions, and
(b) an alternate and equally effective system of hazard identification, such as
distinctive-coloured bagging, is used.
(5) Known or suspected biohazardous material that is not in a container must be identified by:
(a) posting a conspicuous and clearly legible placard that discloses the information
required in subsection (1), or
(b) an equivalent means of hazard communication.
6.38 Education and training
The employer must inform workers about the contents of the exposure control plan and
provide them with adequate education and training to work safely with and in proximity to
potentially biohazardous material.
6.39 Vaccination
Vaccination against Hepatitis B virus must be made available at no cost to the worker, upon
request, for all workers who have, or who may have, occupational exposure to Hepatitis B virus.
6.40 Health protection

(1) A worker potentially exposed to Hepatitis B virus or another bloodborne pathogen in an
exposure incident must be advised to seek a medical evaluation at the time of the incident.
(2) The medical evaluation must be based on an assessment of the risks associated with the
incident, and subsequent post-exposure health management must be provided as necessary.
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6.41 Records
A record must be kept of all workers who are exposed to biohazardous or potentially
biohazardous material while on the job, and of worker education and training sessions on
Appendix 3 – Provincial Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee

approved Facilities, Job Classifications and Job tasks related to infectious diseases
The Provincial Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee agreed on the following
facilities, job classifications or tasks at risk of infectious disease exposure. These tables are not
complete and will change as the committee adds other facilities, job classifications or tasks in
the future.
General Facility Category Facilities
Requirement of WCB OH&S Regulation Any facility that requires a Designated First Aid
Attendant
Adult Facilities Provincial Correctional Institutions
Forensic Psychiatry Institute
Riverview Hospital
Lodge at Broadmead
Oak Bay Lodge
Child and Youth Mental Health and Youth Justice Facility Youth Security Custody Centre
Facilities Youth Open Custody Centre
Youth Forensic Psychiatry Clinics
In Patient Assessment Unit
Maples Adolescent Centre
Migrant Youth Program
Willow Clinic
New entries to be approved by the Provincial Joint
OH&S Committee in consultation with
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Designated First Aid Attendant > Any facility that requires a Blood and Body Fluid
Designated First Aid Attendant
(per WCB OH&S Regulation)
Correctional Officer series > Restraining clients who may Blood and Body Fluid
Deputy Sheriffs react in a violent manner
> Searching suspects
> Searching property
> Riot control
Health Care workers > Providing direct patient care Blood and Body Fluid
Nurses > Handling blood, body fluids or
Activity workers contaminated materials
> Restraining patients who may
react in a violent manner
Laboratory workers > Taking blood samples Blood and Body Fluid
Central Supply workers > Handling blood, body fluids or Blood and Body Fluid
contaminated materials
Security workers > Restraining patients who may Blood and Body Fluid
react in a violent manner
New entries to be approved by
the Provincial Joint OH&S
Committee in consultation with
To be determined by user Direct personal care to others Blood and Body Fluid
To be determined by user Taking blood samples Blood and Body Fluid
To be determined by user Providing injections or working Blood and Body Fluid
with intravenous supplies
To be determined by user Handling blood and other body Blood and Body Fluid
fluids or contaminated materials
To be determined by user Handling materials contaminated Blood and Body Fluid
with blood or body fluids
To be determined by user Restraining violent patients/clients Blood and Body Fluid
where blood or body fluid
exposure occurs
To be determined by user Direct patient care or working in Respiratory
a medical unit that has patients
with active pulmonary
tuberculosis
To be determined by user Known contact with a person Respiratory
who has active infectious
pulmonary tuberculosis
To be determined by user Working in the wilderness or Animal Vector
frequent contact with wild
animals or rodents
To be determined by user Working in a building known to Animal Vector
be infested with mice
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To be determined by user Trapping and/or studying animals Animal Vector

To be determined by user Drinking unboiled water from Animal Vector
lakes or streams that have been
contaminated by infected animals
To be determined by user Working outdoors in areas Animal Vector
potentially infested with ticks
To be determined by user New entries to be approved by
the Provincial Joint OH&S
Committee in consultation with
Appendix 4 – Infection Prevention and Control Program for Ministry-Branch-Workplace

1.0 Responsibilities
1.1 Deputy Minister, BC Public Service Agency
> Refer to Policy 12.6
1.2 Deputy Ministers

> Refer to Policy 12.4
1.3 Managers and Supervisors

> Ensure the development, implementation and maintenance of the Infection
Prevention and Control Program;
> List all job classifications (occupation or title) and job tasks where there are risks of
exposure to infectious diseases;
> Ensure the risk identification process and risk assessments are completed and
documented;
> Ensure the development and implementation of control methods and procedures is
done;
> Ensure all necessary equipment/personal protective equipment (PPE) and training is
provided to employees at risk of exposure;
> Encourage eligible employees to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B;
> Maintain records as required by the program;
> Monitor the workplace to ensure that safe work procedures are followed;
> Investigate and report accidental exposures to infectious diseases;
> Consult with the local Joint OH&S committee regarding exposure control plans
and personal protective equipment (PPE) at least annually;
> Ensure education and training on workplace specific infectious diseases and the
exposure control plans are conducted periodically; and,
> Consult with the Joint Health and Safety Committee and Occupational Health
Programs on challenging issues.
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1.4 Employees
> Using safe work procedures to prevent or minimize the potential for exposure to
infectious disease;
> Wearing personal protective equipment as required and using it as instructed;
> Utilizing standard precautions in all situations where the risk of exposure to blood
and body fluids may be present;
> Participating in education and training sessions relating to the prevention of
transmission of infectious disease;
> Reporting incidents of exposure to infectious disease to the employer and OHP;
> Following specified pre and post exposure procedures;
> Following proper response procedures, including clean up;
> Disposing of all sharps (e.g. used needles, broken glass, and razor blades) in sharps
containers; and
> Obtaining immediate first aid and medical treatment when required.
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee:

> Participate in developing hazard awareness at the workplace;
> Promote participation of education and training on workplace specific infectious
diseases and the exposure control plans;
> Monitor the workplace to ensure that effective safe work procedures are developed
and implemented;
> Participate in accident/incident investigations of exposures to infectious diseases;
> Review safe work practices and make recommendations for improvements;
> Provide recommendations regarding tools, equipment and personal protective
equipment; and
> Participate in infection control program review.
Additional responsibilities for Supervisors, Employees and JOHSC may be listed in Exposure
Control Plans.
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2.0 Risk identification and assessment

The table below lists job classifications and job tasks that have potential for occupational
exposure to infectious diseases.
Consult the Infection Prevention and Control Guide before adding other job classes.
3.0 Exposure control plans

The table below lists the Exposure Control Plans used by this ministry/branch/ workplace.
Exposure Control Plan Titles Location of Plan
Bloodborne pathogens for Designated First Aid See Appendix 10

Attendants(DFAAs)
4.0 Written procedures

No general written procedures available. Refer to Exposure Control Plan.
5.0 Education and training

5.1 Infection Prevention and Control Program
Employees will be made aware of the Joint document “Guide to Prevention and Control of
Infectious Diseases in the Workplace.”
Employees exposed or anticipated to be exposed to infectious diseases at work will be

educated with the following goals:
> Knowledgeable of infectious diseases expected in the workplace.
> Knowledgeable with the content and layout of the
IPCP.
> Have an understanding of the exposures to
biohazardous materials that may occur at the
workplace.
> Knowledgeable about what to do in the event of
exposure.
> Understand the engineering controls that are in place.
> Know the work practices to prevent exposure to
> Understand and follow instructions and control methods detailed in the Exposure
Control Plan(s).
> Understand the type and use of personal protective equipment.
> Recognize labels and identification for biohazardous materials.
> Know where to access the Exposure Control Plan(s).
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> Understand the advantages of the Hepatitis B vaccine or other vaccines that may
come available in the future.
5.2 Designated First Aid Attendants (DFAA)
All DFAAs will be educated and trained about bloodborne pathogens prior to initial
assignment to work as a DFAA.
Additional worksite-specific orientation, education and training will be provided by

______________________ (specify individual within the workplace) and will include:
> an explanation of the ECP – Bloodborne Pathogens for Designated First Aid
Attendants and where to access it,
> control procedures specific to the worksite (e.g. location of sharps disposal containers,
pocket masks and wash facilities; types and location of personal protective equipment),
> information on where to obtain Hepatitis B vaccine locally if required.
6.0 Health protection

See the Guide to Infection Prevention and Control in the Workplace for more information
on health protection.
6.1 Prevention of Hepatitis B

> DFAAs are officially recommended to receive the Hepatitis B vaccination.
> Complete and hand in “Confirmation of Vaccination Offer,” available from the
Ministry.
> Arrange with family physician or local Health Unit (name and address of unit) for
vaccination and be prepared to pay first and be reimbursed later.
> Obtain “Hepatitis B Vaccination Record Form,” available from Occupational Health
Programs, photocopies not accepted) and have vaccination series documented in the
form. Retain receipts after immunization shots.
> Submit completed “Hepatitis B Vaccination Record Form” to Occupational Health
Programs (604-660-2587).
> Submit receipts to the Ministry for reimbursement.
6.2 Post Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens

> Exposure to blood or body fluid occurred.
> STOP activity.
> CLEAN affected site thoroughly with soap and water (or water only if eyes or mouth),
allow cuts or punctures to bleed for 15 minutes.
> REPORT to exposures to First Aid and/or supervisor.
> ATTEND Hospital Emergency Department (name and address of Emergency) for
medical assessment and treatment.
> FOLLOW-UP with supervisor and Occupational Health Programs (604-660-2587).
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7.0 Records
Document management is a responsibility of the ministry/branch/workplace; existing
practices should be maintained but be documented here.
It is suggested that the following documents are appended to this Infection Prevention and
Control Program:
> Program policy and responsibilities;
> Exposure control plan(s);
> Risk Identification and Risk Assessment documentation.
The following documents are required for the overall administration of the IPCP but are
located separately from this document in the positions entered below:
Documentation Location
Education and training records CHIPS

JOSH Committee Minutes and Worker Complaints
Incident/accident reports
First Aid records – kept for 3 years
Referral and follow-up records post exposure Kept by OHP for 30 years after termination
WCB Claim forms (Form 7, 7A, 6A, and 9) and
Claims Management records
Confirmation of Vaccination Offer forms Kept by the Ministry for the term of employment
Vaccination records Kept by the Ministry for the term of employment/
Kept by OHP for 10 years after termination
Post Vaccination Blood Test Kept by OHP for 30 years after termination
8.0 Program evaluation

All Exposure Control Plans listed in section 3.0 will be reviewed annually and updated as
necessary in consultation with the joint health and safety committee or worker health and
safety representative and elements of this IPCP will be evaluated regularly or as required.
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Appendix 5 – Risk Identification Worksheet
Ministry: Job Title: Route of Contact – See Hazard Group, Table 1 Risk
Identified
Division: Classification: Blood and body fluid Fecal Resp. Animal Vector Lab Through
Branch: # Employees affected:
Location:
Air
Job Task Analysis
Contaminated
water
Needle stick or
sharp
Feces
Urine, saliva
Feces
Non-intact skin
Human Bite
Mucous
membrane
Previous
Exposure
Bite / Scratch
Describe in
comments
Consultation with
Occupational
Job Task:
Describe job task, contact situations and other relevant information
82
Appendix 6 – Example Risk Identification Worksheet
Ministry: Job Title: Route of Contact – See Hazard Group, Table 1 Risk
Identified
Division: Classification: Blood and body fluid Fecal Resp. Animal Vector Lab Through
Branch: # Employees affected:
Location:
Air
Job Task Analysis
Contaminated
water
Needle stick or
sharp
Feces
Urine, saliva
Feces
Non-intact skin
Human Bite
Mucuous
membrane
Previous
Exposure
Consultation with
Occupational
Bite / Scratch
Describe in
comments
Job Task:
Describe job task, contact situations and other relevant information
First aid attendant. Contact with blood or body fluids while adminstering first aid to X X X
co-workers or public.
83
Gardening. Removing weeds and leaves, hand contacted a used condom in flower bed, X X
hands were scratched since gloves not worn.
Gardening. Removing wees and leaves. Potential contact with used needle. X X
Pit toilet maintenance/use. Entering pit toilets for inspection and repairs in backcountry, X X
rodent droppings observed or contacted.
Maintenance and patrol. Walking or maintenance of trails in back country where grasses X X
and low bushes are present.
Maintenance and patrol. One employee obtained water from stream in alpine area and X X
became ill.
Appendix 7 – Risk Identification Worksheet
Ministry: Job Title:
Risk Assessment
Division: Classification: Risk Score Rating
Likelihood Frequency Consequence
Branch: (LxFxC) (Low / Moderate /
High)
Location: # Employees affected:
Job task, exposure and additional comments about

severity or frequency of exposure.
84
Appendix 8 – Example Risk Assessment Worksheet
Ministry: Job Title:
Risk Assessment
Division: Classification: Risk Score Rating
Likelihood Frequency Consequence
Branch: (LxFxC) (Low / Moderate /
High)
Location: # Employees affected:
Job task, exposure and additional comments about

severity or frequency of exposure.
First aid attendant. Rare to provide first aid to
0.5 3 30 45 Low
co-workers, care given to public at least 4 times a
month. Injuries withblood every 3 to 4 months.
Gardening. Removing weeds and leaves, hand touched 0.5
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used condom in flower bed, gloves were not used for 0.5 30 7.5 Low
job. Never been seen or reported before.
Gardening. Removing weeds and leaves. Potential

contact with used needle. Needles seen at 3 1 30 90 Low
campground 4 to 5 times a summer.
Pit toilet maintenance/use. Entering pit toilets in back

country at least 2 times a day over 4 month period. 0.5 6 50 150 Mod
Maintenance and patrol. Walking/maintenance in back

country with grass and bushes. 0.5 10 30 150 Mod
Maintenance and patrol. Obtained water from stream

in alpine area. Employee frequently fetches water 6 10 2 120 Mod
without treaing or boiling.
Appendix 9 – Risk Assessment Score Table for Infectious Diseases

(Likelihood X Frequency X Consequence)
LIKELIHOOD: Expectation the pathogen is present in clients or involve job duties working with potentially hazardous
infectious substances:
Score
Is the most likely and expected result if the exposure event takes place
This would be related to the prevalence of infection in the client population. Inmates in Correctional facilities 10
have a high incidence of blood borne pathogen infections.
Workers working with bats are at high risk for rabies infections.
Examine the likelihood of exposure in relation to the type of job task and the circumstances that occur while
the job is being performed. Does the job function involve working with potentially hazardous material e.g. 6
blood, animal feces?
Is the job task being performed in an emergency situation? Emergency situations are more at risk for blood
borne pathogen exposures as they can involve violence, and lack of preparation with PPE.
Would be an unusual sequence or coincidence. 3
Combined circumstances of type of cliental and geographical location creates a possible coincidence. 1
Would be remotely possible coincidence. Has never happened after many years of exposure. 0.5
Practically impossible sequence or coincidence, a “one in a million” chance, has never happened in spite of
exposure over many years. 0.1
FREQUENCY: Potential exposure event occurs:
Score
Continuously (or many times daily) 10
Frequently (approximately once daily) 6
Usually (from once per week to once per month) 3
Occasionally (from once per month to once per year) 2
Rarely (it has been known to happen) 1
Very rarely (not known to have occurred but considered remotely possible) 0.5
CONSEQUENCE: Degree of consequence if left untreated:

Score
Catastrophic: numerous fatalities, extensive damage 100
Several fatalities 75
Fatality 50
Extremely serious injury or occupational disease (permanent disability) 30
Disabling injuries, reversible tissue damage 10
Short term illness and discomfort 2
Risk Assessment Rating Table
Low Moderate High
50 90 125 150 175 200 225 250 350 450 750+
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Appendix 10 – Exposure Control Plan

Bloodborne Pathogens For Designatied First Aid Attendants (DFAAs)
(Ministry/Branch/Worksite)
____________ (date)
1. Purpose
The purpose of this exposure control plan is to eliminate or minimize the DFAAs’ risk of
occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens in blood and body fluids, as well as to reduce
the risk of infection should exposure occur.
2. Responsibilities
General responsibilities are listed in the Infection Prevention and Control Program.
The DFAAs’ supervisor ________________________ (name or Position) will:

> supervise DFAAs with respect to bloodborne pathogen hazards
> ensure that DFAAs use engineering controls, and follow safe work practices and
written work procedures
> ensure that DFAAs wear appropriate personal protective equipment
> ensure that DFAAs receive education and training on bloodborne pathogens and the
exposure control plan initially at the time of occupational first aid certification and
renewal or when required
> ensure that the post-exposure health protection procedures are followed for DFAAs’
exposure incidents to blood and body fluids
> initiate accident investigations of exposure incidents to blood or Body fluid.
The DFAAs will:

> use the provided engineering controls
> follow safe work practices and written work procedures
> wear the appropriate personal protective equipment provided
> attend education and training (occupational first aid training courses and additional
company training sessions)
> follow the post-exposure health management procedure in the
event of an exposure incident to blood or body fluids
> participate in accident investigations of exposure incidents to
blood or body fluids.
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3. Risk Identification and Assessment

All DFAAs are at risk for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens and blood or body
fluids. DFAAs may have harmful contact from:
> percutaneous injury (needle stick or sharp)
> mucous membrane contact or
> non-intact skin contact
Job Classification Job Task Job Task Details (optional)
Designated First Aid Attendant First Aid > Providing first aid to coworkers
> Post treatment care
> Accident clean up
4. Control Procedures
Engineering and safe work practice controls are the preferred means to eliminate or minimize
our DFAAs’ exposure to bloodborne pathogens at this worksite. If such controls are
unavailable or impracticable, or do not completely eliminate exposure, DFAAs will wear the
appropriate personal protective equipment provided.
Engineering controls
Tongs and sharps disposal containers for clearing the accident scene of sharp objects that put
DFAAs at risk of injury (e.g. contaminated broken glass at an accident site).
Sharps disposal containers are located in the ________________________ (state location,

e.g. first aid room and first aid kit).
Tongs are located in the ________________________ (state location).
Bag and masks or pocket masks with one-way valves are available in the ________________
(state location, e.g. first aid kits) for use when ventilating patients. Masks should not be
shared before being washed and disinfected. One-way valves may be changed if there is
insufficient time to disinfect between use by different DFAAs.
Administrative Controls (Work practice controls) and written work procedures

As specified in the WCB Occupational First Aid Reference & Training Manual (manual)
and WCB Occupational First Aid Training Guides (training guides), DFAAs will:
> follow standard precautions
> use pocket masks or bag valve mask with one-way valves when ventilating patients
> follow safe sharps handling procedures, such as discarding any disposable,
contaminated sharp items in sharps disposal containers as soon as possible
> wear disposable medical examination gloves when assessing and treating patients (if
there is potential contact with patients’ blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions,
mucous membranes or non-intact skin), and when touching contaminated items or
surfaces; also wear such gloves if they have non-intact skin on their hands, after first
covering the affected skin with a medical disposable dressing
88
> replace gloves as soon as practical if they are torn, cut, punctured or leaking, and
when they become contaminated or damaged such that their ability to function as a
barrier is in question
> do not wash or decontaminate medical disposable gloves for re-use
> follow the procedures for glove removal and hand washing (see IPCP Guide)
> follow the cleanup procedures for spills of blood and body fluid that minimize
splashing
> do not store or consume food or drink in first aid facilities
> follow the post-exposure health protection procedure, if they have an exposure
incident to blood or body fluid
Personal protective equipment

All personal protective equipment for bloodborne pathogens used at this worksite will be
provided by the employer at no cost to DFAAs.
Disposable medical examination gloves are available in the ________________________

(state location, e.g. first aid room and first aid kits). They will be worn and used as specified
in the manual and training guides, and the safe work practices and written work procedures
outlined above.
Eye/face protection in the form of ________________________ (specify type, e.g. safety

goggles and face shield) is available in the ________________________ (specify location,
e.g. first aid room). They will be worn by DFAAs when it can be reasonably anticipated that
the mucous membranes of their eyes, nose or mouth may be splashed or sprayed with blood
or body fluid (e.g. relieving blood under finger or toe nails (subungual hematomas)).
Gowns and protective footwear in the form of ______________________ (specify type,

e.g. washable cloth or disposable paper gowns, rubber boots) are available in the
_____________________ (specify location, e.g. first aid room). They will be worn by DFAAs
when it can be reasonably anticipated that their skin or clothing may come in contact with
blood or body fluid (e.g. during blood spill clean-up).
Standard precautions
DFAAs will treat all blood and body fluids as though they are known to be infected with
bloodborne pathogens.
5. Hygiene Facilities and Decontamination Procedures

Hand washing facilities are located in the ________________________ (specify, e.g.
restrooms and first aid room), and are available to DFAAs for hand washing. Hands will be
washed as specified in the manual and training guides.
Waterless hand cleansers/towelettes ________________________ (specify which) are also

provided for use if hand washing facilities are not immediately available. They are located in
the________________________ (specify,e.g. first aid room and first aid kits). DFAAs will
wash their hands with mild soap and running water as soon as possible after the use of the
cleanser/towelette.
89
If an DFAA has an exposure incident to blood or body fluid, the post-exposure health
protection procedures will be followed for decontamination.
Housekeeping, laundry and waste

All reusable first aid equipment _______________________(specify, e.g. metal instruments,
pocket masks) and environmental working surfaces ______________________ (specify, e.g.
counters in the first aid room) will be decontaminated as soon as possible after
contamination with blood or body fluid, as well as on a routine basis, as specified in the
manual and training guides.
Laundry soiled with blood or body fluid will be treated as specified in the manual and training
guides.
Sharps disposal containers will be securely closed and replaced when they are two-thirds full.
They will then be sent to ________________________ (specify) for disposal.
First aid waste items (e.g. medical disposable gloves, pads and dressings) that are NOT
dripping, saturated or grossly contaminated with blood or body fluid are considered general
waste. They will be discarded in medical disposable waste bags for disposal at a landfill.
Items that are dripping, saturated or grossly contaminated with blood or body fluid are
considered biomedical waste. They must be appropriately bagged and disposed of in
accordance with provincial and local environmental regulatory agencies ________________
(specify provincial and local disposal requirements).
6. Education and Training

See Infection Prevention and Control Program
7. Health Protection
See Health Protection section of the Infection
Prevention and Control Program
8. Records
See Records section of the Infection Prevention and
Control Program
90
Appendix 11 – Exposure Control Plan Template

Title
(Ministry/Branch/Worksite)
____________ (date)
1. Purpose
The purpose of this exposure control plan is to eliminate or minimize . . .
2. Responsibilities
General responsibilities are listed in the Infection Prevention and Control Program.
The supervisor ________________________ (name or Position) will:
The (job classifications) will:

> use the provided engineering controls
> follow safe work practices and written work procedures
> wear the appropriate personal protective equipment provided
> attend education and training
> participate in accident investigations of exposure to (infectious disease).
3. Risk Identification and Assessment

All (job classifications) are at risk for occupational exposure to (infectious disease) and may
have harmful contact from:
> (route of entry e.g. bite, inhalation)
Job Classification Job Task Job Task Details (optional)

>
4. Control Procedures
Substitution, elimination or engineering controls are the preferred means to eliminate or
minimize exposure to (infectious disease) at this worksite. If such controls are unavailable or
impracticable, or do not completely eliminate exposure, (job classifications) will wear follow
safe work practice controls and wear the appropriate personal protective equipment provided.
Substitution or Elimination
Describe situations when substitution or elimination of exposure is possible.
Engineering controls
Describe:
Engineering controls to be used if possible.
91
Where engineering control(s) ( e.g. equipment) are located.

Describe how to operate equipment if necessary.
Administrative Controls (Work practice controls) and written work procedures

List administrative controls to be used to lower or eliminate the risk of infection.
Write out written work procedures if a particular sequence of steps must be conducted to
ensure worker safety.
Personal protective equipment

List personal protective equipment required
Consider if necessary:
Eyes: goggles or face shield
Lungs: dust mask or ½ face respirator
Skin: gloves, protective suit, footwear
5. Hygiene Facilities and Decontamination Procedures

List hygiene facilities or decontamination procedures available if required
List location of facilities
Write out decontamination procedures if they require certain steps to be followed
Housekeeping, laundry and waste

List and or describe any specific housekeeping or waste disposal issues
6. Education and Training

See Infection Prevention and Control Program
7. Health Protection
See Health Protection section of the Infection Prevention and Control Program
8. Records
See Records section of the Infection Prevention and Control Program
92
Appendix 12 – Accidental Exposure First Aid Plan

1. STOP what you are doing.
2. CLEANSE Eyes and mucous membranes:

> Flush eyes for 15 minutes with water or normal saline.
> Skin: Wash well with soap and water for 15 minutes.
> Needle stick: Wash puncture site with soap and water for 15 minutes.
> Promote bleeding of wound by lowering extremity below level of the heart if
possible.
> DO NOT promote bleeding by cutting, crosshatch scratching or puncturing skin.
3. DISPOSE of the sharp or needle in a puncture proof sharps container.
4. REPORT to your First Aid attendant and supervisor immediately.

> After first aid go to the Hospital Emergency Department immediately for medical
assessment. Inform the physician that the incident occurred at work (WCB Case)
and where you are employed.
5. OBTAIN MEDICAL assessment, treatment and advice.
6. FOLLOW-UP: Provide information to your supervisor to assist in accident investigation

and WCB reporting.
Call Occupational Health Programs at 604-660-2587; and Fax copy of WCB forms to
Occupational Health Programs at 604-775-0697.
Note: Blood and body fluid contact with intact skin is not considered to be a risk for the
spread of blood borne pathogens. You should wash your hands and other affected skin areas
immediately.
93
Appendix 13 – Confirmation of Vaccination Offer

Hepatitis B Vaccination Program
(You MUST complete, sign and return this form to your
Local Coordinator within 3 days, even if you choose not to accept vaccination.)
EMPLOYEE INFORMATION: PRINT CLEARLY
_________________________________ _______________________________ ______

Last Name First Name Initial
Employee Number: ______________ Ministry:_________________________________________
Occ First Aid Attendant (OFAA): Level 1 � Level 2 � Level 3 � Other �

Job Classification: _______________________________ Work Location: ___________________________
DECLARATION
YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS SECTION
This confirms that I have been advised my duties are identified as having a potential risk of exposure to blood
borne diseases including Hepatitis B and a vaccine is being offered as a preventative measure.
I understand Hepatitis B is a serious illness that can be transmitted by blood or body fluids.
I further understand Hepatitis B vaccination can prevent the development of this disease.
I have reviewed and understand the educational material attached:
� I CHOOSE NOT to receive Hepatitis B vaccination
� I DO want to receive Hepatitis B Vaccination
� I have previously completed the series of 3 injections for Hepatitis B.
Year series completed_____________________________________
� I have been previously vaccinated for Hepatitis B, but did not complete the series. # Vaccinations and
dates____________________________
________________________________________ _______________________
EMPLOYEE’S SIGNATURE (REQUIRED) DATE (YYYY/MM/DD)
THIS RECORD WILL BE RETAINED BY YOUR MINISTRY
94
Appendix 14 – Hepatitis B Vaccination Record

This is an example, obtain original form for use.
95
Appendix 15 – Glossary
Communicable Disease: a disease, which may be transmitted directly or indirectly from one
person to another.
Microorganisms: small living organisms for example bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae and
protozoa.
Virus: a group of infectious microorganisms composed of a very simple
structure.
Infection: the invasion of the body by a pathogenic organism, and also the
condition brought about following the invasion of a pathogen.
Inhalation: breathing into the lungs.
Immune: protected or exempt from a disease (exempt from a certain disease by
vaccination or inoculation).
Immunization: becoming immune or the process of rendering a person immune.
Vaccinations: the injection of substances in order to give immunity to a disease.
Lesion: an injury or wound (blisters, crusts, pimples, rash, scales or scars) single
infected patch in a skin disease.
Mucus: a slimy liquid produced by the cells of the airways that trap bacteria and
larger dust particles as in the nose and the mouth.
Sharps: clinical and laboratory materials consisting of needles, syringes, blades
or laboratory glass, capable of causing punctures, cuts or grazes.
Disinfectant: a chemical agent used to kill microorganisms.
Sterilization: the process whereby all living organisms including microorganisms are
removed from an object pr material.
96
Appendix 16
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus fumigatus
Epidermophyton floccosum
Microsporum spp.
Sporothrix schenckii
Trichophyton spp.
Risk Group 2 Viruses

*Arthropod-borne viruses are identified with an asterisk. Only those viruses which may be
associated with human or animal disease have been included in this list. Agents listed in this
group may be present in blood, CSF, central nervous system and other tissues, and infected
arthropods, depending on the agent and the stage of infection.
Adenoviridae
Adenoviruses, all serotypes
Arenaviridae
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (laboratory-adapted strains)
Tacaribe virus complex: Tamiami, Tacaribe, Pichinde
Bunyaviridae*
Genus Bunyavirus
Bunyamwera and related viruses
California encephalitis group, including LaCrosse, Lumbo and snowshoe hare
Genus Phlebovirus
All species except Rift Valley fever virus (see Table 1)
Caliciviridae – all isolates (including Hepatitis E & Norwalk)
Coronaviridae
Human coronavirus, all strains
Transmissible gastroenteritis virus of swine
Hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus of swine
Mouse Hepatitis virus
Bovine coronavirus
Feline infectious peritonitis virus
Avian infectious bronchitis virus
Canine, Rat and Rabbit coronaviruses
Flaviviridae*
Yellow fever virus (17D vaccine strain)
Dengue virus (serotypes 1,2,3,4)
Kunjin virus
Hepadnaviridae
Hepatitis B virus, includes Delta agen
Herpesviridae
Alphaherpesvirinae
Genus Simplexvirus: all isolates, including HHV 1 and HHV 2, except Herpes B virus which
is in Risk Group 4
Genus Varicellovirus: all isolates, including varicella/zoster virus
(HHV 3) and pseudorabies virus (see Table 1)
97
Betaherpesvirinae
Genus Cytomegalovirus: all isolates including CMV (HHV 5)
Genus Muromegalovirus: all isolates
Gammaherpesvirinae
Genus Lymphocryptovirus: Epstein Barr Virus (HHV 4) and EB-like isolates
Genus Rhadinovirus: all isolates (except H. ateles and H. saimiri, see Risk Group 3)
Genus Thetalymphocryptovirus: all isolates
Unassigned Herpesviruses: includes HHV 6 (human á-lymphotrophic virus), HHV 7, HHV
8, etc.
Orthomyxoviridae
Genus Influenzavirus: Influenza virus type A, all isolates
Influenza virus type B, all isolates
Influenza virus type C, all isolates
Papovaviridae
Genus Papillomavirus: all isolates
Genus Polyomavirus: all isolates
Paramyxoviridae
Genus Paramyxovirus: all isolates
Genus Pneumovirus: all isolates Genus Morbillivirus: all
isolates (except Rinderpest-see Table 1)
Parvoviridae
Genus Parvovirus: all isolates
Picornaviridae
Genus Aphthovirus – See Table 1
Genus Cardiovirus – all isolates
Genus Enterovirus – all isolates (see Table 1 for restrictions)
Genus Hepatovirus – all isolates (Hepatitis A)
Genus Rhinovirus – all isolates
Poxviridae (see Table 1 for restrictions)
Chordopoxvirinae (poxviruses of vertebrates)
Genus Capripoxvirus
Genus Molluscipoxvirus
Genus Yatapoxvirus
Genus Avipoxvirus – all isolates
Genus Leporipoxvirus – all isolates
Genus Orthopoxvirinae – all isolates (except Variola and Monkeypox in Level 4)
Genus Parapoxvirus: all isolates
vGenus Suipoxvirus: Swinepox (see Table 1 for restrictions)
All other ungrouped poxviruses of vertebrates
Reoviridae
Genus Orbivirus – all isolates (see Table 1 for restrictions)
Genus Orthoreovirus, types 1, 2 and 3
Genus Rotavirus – all isolates
Retroviridae
Oncovirinae
Genus Oncornavirus C
Subgenus Oncornavirus C avian – all isolates
Subgenus Oncornavirus C mammalian – all isolates except HTLV-I, HTLV-II
98
Genus Oncornavirus B – all isolates

Lentivirinae – all isolates except HIV-I, HIV-II
Spumavirinae – all isolates
Rhabdoviridae
Genus Vesiculovirus (see Table 1 for restrictions) (All laboratory adapted strains)
Genus Lyssavirus: Rabies virus (Fixed Virus)
Togaviridae
Genus Alphavirus*
Semliki forest virus
Sindbis
O’Nyong-Nyong
Ross river virus
Venezuelan equine encephalitis (Strain TC-83 only, no animal inoculation, see Table 1)
Genus Rubivirus
Rubella virus
Genus Pestivirus
Hepatitis C virus
Bovine diarrhea virus
Border disease virus
Genus Arterivirus
Equine arteritis virus
Unclassified viruses
Toroviridae
Other Hepatitis Viruses
Borna disease virus
Astro viruses
Chronic infectious neuropathic agents (CHINAs): Scrapie, BSE (except Kuru, CJD,
see Risk Group 3)
Risk Group 2 Parasites

Infective stages of the following parasites have caused laboratory infections by ingestion, skin
or mucosal penetration or accidental injection. Preparations of these parasites known to be
free of infective stages do not require this level of containment.
Risk Group 2
Protozoa
Babesia microti
Babesia divergens
Balantidium coli
Cryptosporidium spp.
Entamoeba histolytica
Giardia spp. (mammalian)
Leishmania spp. (mammalian)
Naegleria fowleri
Plasmodium spp. (human or simian)
Pneumocystis carinii
Toxoplasma gondii
99
Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi

Helminths
Nematodes – Ancylostoma duodenale
Angiostrongylus spp.
Ascaris spp.
Brugia spp.
Loa loa
Necator americanus
Onchocerca volvulus
Strongyloides spp.
Toxocara canis
Trichinella spp.
Trichuris trichiura
Wuchereria bancrofti
Cestodes
Echinococcus (gravid segments)
Hymenolepis diminuta
Hymenolepis nana (human origin)
Taenia saginata
Taenia solium
Trematodes
Clonorchis sinensis
Fasciola hepatica
Opisthorchis spp.
Paragonimus westermani
Schistosoma haematobium
Schistosoma japonicum
Schistosoma mansoni
4.6.3 Risk Group 3 Agents: Requiring Containment Level 3

Risk Group 3 (high individual risk, low community risk)
A pathogen that usually causes serious human or animal disease, or which can result in
serious economic consequences but does not ordinarily spread by casual contact from one
individual to another, or that can be treated by antimicrobial or antiparasitic agents.
Risk Group 3
Bacteria, Chlamydia, Rickettsia
Bacillus anthracis
Brucella – all species
Burkolderia (Pseudomonas) mallei; B. pseudomallei
Chlamydia psittaci – avian strains only
Coxiella burnetii
Francisella tularensis, type A (biovar tularensis)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis; M. bovis (non-BCG strains)
Pasteurella multocida, type B
Rickettsia – all species (also see Table 1)
100
Yersinia pestis
(Note: Preparation of smears and primary culture of M. tuberculosis may be performed at
Level 2 physical containment using containment Level 3 operational requirements. All other
manipulations of M. tuberculosis require containment Level 3 physical and operational
requirements.)
Risk Group 3 Fungi Moniliaceae

Ajellomyces dermatitidis (Blastomyces dermatitidis)
Coccidioides immitis
Ajellomyces capsulatum (Histoplasma capsulatum including var. duboisii)
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Arthropod-borne viruses are identified with an asterisk.
Arenaviridae
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, neurotropic strains
Bunyaviridae
Unclassified Bunyavirus
Hantaan, Korean haemorrhagic fever and epidemic
nephrosis viruses including virus responsible for Hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome)
Rift Valley fever virus
Flaviviridae*
Yellow fever virus (Wild type)
St. Louis encephalitis virus
Japanese encephalitis virus
Murray Valley encephalitis virus
Powassan
Herpesviridae
Gammaherpesvirinae
Genus Rhadinovirus: Herpesvirus ateles; Herpesvirus saimiri
Retroviridae
Oncovirinae
Genus Oncornavirus C
Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (see note below)
Genus Oncornavirus D
Mason-Pfizer monkey virus
Viruses from non-human primates
Lentivirinae
Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV – all isolates) (see note below)
Rhabdoviridae
Genus Vesiculovirus (see Table 1 for restrictions) (wild type strains)
Genus Lyssavirus
Rabies virus (Street virus)
Togaviridae
Genus Alphavirus*
Eastern equine encephalitis virus
101
Chikungunya
Venezuelan equine encephalitis (except Strain TC-83)
Western equine encephalitis
Unclassified Viruses
Chronic infectious neuropathic agents (CHINAs): Kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob agent (level of
precautions depends on the nature of the manipulations and the amount of sera,
bio/necropsy materials handled).
Note: Laboratories engaging primary isolation and identification of HTLV or HIV may
perform these activities in containment level 2 laboratories (physical requirements) using
containment level 3 operational requirements. All research and production activities require
containment level 3 physical and operational requirements.
Risk Group 3 Parasites

None
4.6.4 Risk Group 4 Agents: Requiring Containment Level 4

Risk Group 4 (high individual risk, high community risk)
A pathogen that usually produces very serious human
animal disease, often untreatable, and may be readily
transmitted from one individual to another, or from animal
to human or vice-versa directly or indirectly, or casual
contact.
Risk Group 4 Bacteria

None
Risk Group 4 Fungi

None

Arthropod-borne viruses are identified with an asterisk.
Arenaviridae
Lassa, Junin, Machupo viruses, Sabia, Guanarito
Bunyaviridae*
Genus Nairovirus
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
Filoviridae
Marburg virus
Ebola virus
Flaviviridae*
Tick-borne encephalitis complex, including – Russian Spring-Summer Encephalitis
Kyasanur forest virus
Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus
102
Herpesviridae
Alphaherpesvirinae
Genus Simplexvirus: Herpes B virus (Monkey virus)
Poxviridae
Genus Orthopoxvirinae
Variola
Monkeypox
103
Appendix 17 – References and Resources

American Public Health Association, Wash., DC, USA; Chin, James, Editor, Control of
Communicable Diseases Manual, 17th ed., ISBN 0-87553-242-X.
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Hepatitis B Number 25A, Aug.1998.
(www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Hepatitis B Immune Globulin,
Number 25B Aug.1998. ( www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Wilderness Health Risks, Number 24,
Feb 1992. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Hepatitis A, Number 33, Aug. 1998.
(www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Hepatitis C Number 40A& B, Apr
1997. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Universal Precautions, Number 29,
Nov 1993. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Tuberculosis (TB) Disease – What is
it?, Number 51a, Jan 1998. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
(HPS), Number 36, July 1995. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Getting Rid of Rats and Mice,
Number 37, Summer 1994. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Rabies: Early treatment is Essential,
Number 07, July 1998. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Tick Bites and Disease, Number 01,
Summer 1994. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Waterborne Diseases in BC, Number
49, Oct 1995. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Cryptsporidiosis Number 48, Oct.
1997. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Giardasis and other Water-Borne
Diseases, Number 10, Sept. 1990. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
104
MOH and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Files, Why should I disinfect my drinking
water? Number 49b, Aug. 1997. (www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hlthfile/hfile33.html)
National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Canadian Immunization Guide. 5th ed.

Ottawa, Ont.: Health Canada, 1998.
Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. A national consensus on guidelines for establishment of a
post-exposure notification protocol for emergency responders. Ottawa, Ont.: Health Canada.
CCDR 1995; Vol.21-19, p.F-1-.7.
British Columbia Ministry of Health, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Society, Blood
and Body Fluid Exposure Management, June 1998.
British Columbia Ministry of Health, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Society, Lyme
Disease. (H:\epid\lyme glossary.wpd)
British Columbia Ministry of Health, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Society, BC
Centre for Disease Control Communicable Disease Control Manual – Tuberculosis, January 1999.
National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Canadian Immunization Guide. 5th ed.

Ottawa, Ont.: Health Canada, 1998.
HLTH 301856 – Are you at risk for Lyme Disease? and What is Hepatitis B? SmitheKline
Beecham Pharma Inc. (www.lymevaccine.com)
Workers Health and Safety Centre, Ontario, Canada: Infectious Diseases and Biological
Hazards; WHSC 1997.
Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; HIV/AIDS, and

Hepatitis B and C-Preventing Exposure at Work; 1998, ISBN 0-7726-3601-X.
Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; A Hantavirus Risk

Control Program for Employers and Workers; 1996. (Currently under revision)
105
106

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Guide to

Prevention and Control of

BC Government and BC Public Service Agency

The BC Public Service Agency

Occupational Health Programs, represented by:

BC Government and Services Employees Union

2 How to Develop an Infection Prevention and Control Program . . . . . . . . . . 4

4 Safe work procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

5 Infectious Diseases and Health Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

General awareness and education is essential for

That’s where this Guide comes in . . .

1.2 Who should read this guide?

This Guide is intended to serve several functions:

What does this guide cover?

1.3 Definitions and Common Terms

Biohazardous materials: means a pathogenic organism, including a bloodborne

Communicable disease (infectious disease): an illness due to an infectious

Infectious Disease Control: is a process to eliminate or minimize the exposure and

Pathogen: an organism that causes disease in humans.

Work Practice Controls (Exposure Control Procedures, Administrative Controls): methods

2 How to Develop an Infection Prevention

2.1 Who Needs an Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP)?

2.2 Who is responsible in my Ministry to Develop an IPCP?

2.3 Infection Prevention and Control Program Requirements

> Health Protection

To ensure there is common content among ministries and

2.4 Requirements of the Responsibilities Section

Managers and supervisors have the responsibility to:

Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee:

2.5 Requirements of the Risk Identification and

Job Classifications Task Hazard Group

A more extensive example of a Risk Identification and Risk Assessment section is

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, BC Corrections Branch

Job Classifications Task Hazard Group

2.5.1 How to Complete the Risk Identification process.

Risk identification requires 3 steps:

2.5.2 Identifying Infectious Disease hazard group

Table 1. Infectious diseases assigned to different Hazard Groups

Hazard Groups Infectious Diseases (source)

Blood and body fluid > HIV

2.5.3 Identifying Job Tasks and Job Classifications

Job Classifications Job Tasks Hazard Group

Job Classifications Job Tasks Hazard Group

Development flow chart for the

Required to complete RI and

Check Table 1 for infectious

Check Table 2 for the Job

Was the Job

How to Complete the Risk Identification Documentation

Review the Example Worksheet to see what is expected in the documentation.

Table 4. Route of Contact explanations for the Risk Identification Worksheet

Needle stick or sharp Puncture or cutting of the skin by object

Mark an “X” in the appropriate routes of entry choices within the

Risk Identified through

Mark an “X” in the appropriate column to identify the risk source.

This section is significant because it impacts the risk assessment:

2.5.4 What is the Purpose of the Risk Assessment?

2.5.5 How to Complete the Risk Assessment Documentation

2.5.6 Choose a Rating for the Consequence Section