Mark asked me to post the facts about preventing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens. If you didn't read the other post, I am a certified medical assistant and all this training and courses was required by law for me to become CMA registered.

The Following information, meets OSHA standards.

Definition:Blood borne Pathogens means pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Blood borne Pathogens means pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

1. Health care workers are required by law to receive the Hepititas B vaccine. I strongly recommend that anyone who is going to be working in the tattoo field get one.

2. Get an actual sharps container with needle-proof lid, this should have a bio-hazard logo on it, and IT CAN NOT BE THROWN AWAY. You have to call your local health department to find out when to take it of have it picked up.

3. New right out of the box gloves are a must. They cannot be reused ! Touching any unsterilized or infected area or objects and then touching the customers open skin also is a big no no, Because you could of picked up something on your gloves which could be transfered to them. If your not sure if you need to change gloves think of it this way. " A Dr. sets up everything he needs for a procedure on a sterile tray, and he has to change his gloves if he touches anything outside of the patient and that try." So set up your area first, and if you touch anything outside that area change your gloves. Its safer for your customer.

4. Any item that isn't a needle "paper towels, gloves, ink caps, etc" need to be carefully bagged up while your gloves are still ON. OSHA requires that items like this be disposed in a red Bio-hazard bag and disposed of properly same as the sharps container.

5.The proper cleaning and disinfecting of nonliving contaminated surfaces is an important element to help control pathogens and bio-hazards. Some facilities choose to clean daily with an effective general-purpose cleaner and follow with a disinfectant on the high-risk surfaces like toilets, urinals, washbasins and handles. Others choose to use a one step cleaner/disinfectant on all surfaces.

•  Cleaning is the removal of unwanted soil or contaminants
•  Sanitizing is the removal of microbes from an object to meet a minimum sanitation requirement, reducing the microbial population by    killing 99.9 percent of the targeted pathogens
•  Disinfecting is the total elimination of most pathogenic organisms from inanimate objects, providing a higher level of germ killing than cleaning or sanitizing

6. WHAT TO USE AND WHEN:

  •  Alcohols: Use ethyl and isopropyl alcohol solutions as antimicrobial agents against bacteria and fungi, though they won't have an effect on bacterial spores. They evaporate quickly, leave no residues on surfaces and are effective as the active ingredients in hand sanitizers.

  •  Chlorine bleach: Hypochlorite compounds release free chlorine in solution and are effective against Hepatitis B Virus, HIV-1 and many other bacteria, viruses and fungi. Chlorine bleach solutions are effective disinfectants but lack detergency and require that soils be removed from surfaces before they’re effective. Use chlorine bleach solutions to decontaminate blood spills in accordance with OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.