Principles of Infection Prevention and Control Essay Example for Free

Principles of Infection Prevention and Control Essay Employees rights and responsibilities in the relation to the prevention and control of infection are to follow company’s policies and procedures, keep themselves safe and others, report any hazards which could lead to infection, attend relevant courses, use the PPE provided, keeping the work environment clean and tidy and to maintain good personal hygiene 1. 2: Employers responsibilities in the relation to the prevention and control of infection are to keep everybody safe and to provide a safe work place, they do this by following current legislation. This is why it is extremely important to wear the correct PPE and use the correct hand washing procedure and use the correct cleaning products. 4. 3: To carry out a risk assessment first of all you need to identify the hazards, then decide who might be harmed and how. Then evaluate the risks and decide on precaution and then record your findings and implement on them. After this is done review your assessment and update if necessary. 4. 4: It is important to carry out risk assessments to raise awareness of potential risks and to try and eliminate or reduce them and to ensure enough precautions have been taken to prevent injury. Outcome 5 PPE must be used in the correct way in order for it to be effective in the prevention of infection control. Some different types of PPE and there uses are explained below: †¢Disposable gloves- Wearing disposable gloves will offer a protective barrier against infection when worn when dealing with body products, e. g. blood, urine, mucus, vomit etc, changing soiled bed linen, clearing up spillages and dressing wounds. When wearing gloves they should be put on last after all other PPE is on and should fit the hands comfortably and not rip or tear easily. Hands should be cleaned thoroughly before wearing gloves to prevent germs spreading. While wearing gloves they should be change if they become heavily soiled or ripped and after each resident. Gloves should be carefully removed before any other PPE is removed and disposed of in the correct way in line with company’s procedures and hands should be cleaned again. †¢Aprons- these are used to provide a barrier which enables clothing to stay clean from bodily fluids, spillages etc. Aprons should be put on first before any other PPE. To put an apron on, one should be taken from the roll and opened out, after the head has gone through the hole the two ties should be tied together around your back. To dispose of carefully tare the ties and roll or fold into a bundle and dispose of correctly. †¢Masks- These are worn to stop airborne infections being inhaled. To put a mask on place over nose, mouth and chin and fit flexible nose piece over bridge of nose. A mask should be removed after all other PPE has been removed and disposed of correctly. Employers must provide appropriate PPE free of charge and ensure it is disposed of correctly. Employees must use this correctly and follow the training and instructions given. The regulations and legislation relating to PPE that we must follow are: †¢The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 †¢The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 Outcome 6 The key principles of good personal hygiene are vital in controlling the spread of infection. The most important action that will reduce the development of infection is regular hand washing. By using a good hand washing technique this will ensure bacteria and viruses have as little chance to spread as possible. You should always wash your hands: †¢Before starting and when finishing work †¢Before and after eating After using the toilet