Infection Control

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Infection Control
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Your Responsibility

• As a Disability Support Worker your duty of care
  includes protecting your clients and yourself
  from infection.
• This means following safe working practices to
  control infection.
• Your organisation should have infection control
  procedures for you to follow.

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When does infection occur?

• Infection occurs when organisms attack the body
  and multiply, causing sickness or discomfort.
• A person may be infectious before they become
  unwell (i.e. during the incubation period) and
  during their illness.
• With some infections, people can be carriers and
  remain infectious without experiencing the
  illness.
• Infections may be present with or without any
  visible signs or symptoms.

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What is cross infection?

• The term cross infection is used to describe the
  spread of infection from one person to another.
• Cross infection can occur between
• clients and clients
• clients and carers
• carers and carers
• and others.

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Where does infection occur?

• Infection and cross infection can occur
• in the organisations workplace
• in the clients home
• in public places
• in hospital.

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How does infection spread?

• Infections can spread through
• contact with body fluids
• contact with contaminated surfaces, including
  skin inhalation.
• The organisations infection control procedures
  play an important role in safeguarding the health
  of clients and workers.

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Precautions

• Always assume that
• blood and body fluids are a potential source of
  infection.
• At the start of each working day
• check your hands for cuts and abrasions.
• If there are any, cover them with a waterproof
  dressing.

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Precautions (cont.)

• When cleaning blood or other body fluids
• always wear disposable gloves
• use other protective equipment as required by
  your organisations infection control procedures.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after every contact
  with any surface or fluid that is potentially
  contaminated.

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Legal matters

• The infection status of staff and service users
  is
• confidential, and
• must not be disclosed without the persons
  consent.
• However, the NT Health Act states that
• persons who have an infectious disease need to
  take reasonable measures to protect others from
  being infected.