Proper Hand Washing Procedures – 7 Important Things You Should Know

Blood borne pathogens can cause diseases in humans and they are transmitted when infectious blood or other bodily fluid enters the body of another person. Exposure to blood borne pathogens is more likely to occur in some work settings. Infectious diseases are spread through unclean hands, so hand washing is prescribed as the most important practice to prevent or reduce the risk of infection and transmission. Washing hands and other exposed skin as soon as possible after getting exposed to human blood or other potentially infectious bodily fluids can help you get maximum protection.

1. Proper Hand Washing Procedures

Universal precautionary measures for preventing exposure to blood borne pathogens insist that all human blood and bodily fluids should be treated as infectious, so it is crucial to take these measures immediately after contacting with these substances. You can infect yourself with some infectious materials, if you touch blood or other bodily fluids and touch your eyes, nose or mouth without washing your hands properly. Blood borne pathogens may be transmitted through the mucous membranes of eyes, nose and mouth. Proper hand washing techniques can help prevent the risk of infection.

It is important to use soap and water to wash your hands thoroughly, after treating wounds, giving medicine to a sick or injured person. You can use antibacterial soap and warm water to wash your hands.

2. Remove Jewelry Before Hand Washing

You should remove rings or any other jewelry pieces on the fingers and wrists, before washing your hands. Jewelry can interfere with sufficient cleansing.

3. Scrub Your Hands And Wrists

Wet your hands and wrists with warm water. Lather soap and scrub all the surfaces of your hands and wrists. Well. Scrubbing your hand with the palm of other hand can help remove all germs. It is important to scrub in and between the fingers as well. Scrub the back of the hands thoroughly. Scrub each thumb and wrist by clasping in opposite direction.

4. Spend 15 to 20 Seconds In Hand Washing

Experts recommend that you should spend 15 to 20 seconds in washing your hands. Once you clean the hands thoroughly, rinse them with warm water.

5. Dry Your Hands

Pat your hands dry with a clean towel. You can also use a paper towel. Research studies say that wet hands can carry more infectious materials than dirty hands. A reusable cloth towel may have germs, if it is not freshly laundered. If a clean cloth towel or new paper towel is not available, you can use air dryer to dry your hands.

6. Use Paper Towel To Turn Off The Faucet

Turn off the water faucet using the paper towel. Faucet may have infectious substance, so touching it after washing the hands can cause infection.

7. Small Things Matter

Ensure that your sleeves are rolled up before start washing your hands. They should not get wet while washing. Wash forearms, if you doubt that they have been contaminated.

In addition to proper hand washing, you should flush eyes, nose and mouth for 15 minutes, if blood or other bodily fluids are splashed in mucous membranes. Taking these steps can help control the risk of infection as well as transmission.

The blood borne pathogens training course helps you get to know the details about HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act), compliance procedures and implementation of HIPAA into your job and work place.

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