Why infection control

Wash your hands between each client and use fresh gloves for each client where necessary personal items — don't share towels, clothing, razors, toothbrushes, shavers or other personal items. Food preparation and workplace infection control When preparing food: Wash your hands before and after handling food. Avoid touching your hair, nose or mouth. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Use separate storage, utensils and preparation surfaces for cooked and uncooked foods. Wash all utensils and preparation surfaces thoroughly with hot water and detergent after use.

Infection control and workplace cleanliness Infection control procedures relating to cleanliness in the workplace include: regularly washing the floors, bathrooms and surfaces such as tables and bench tops with hot water and detergent periodically washing the walls and ceilings thoroughly washing and drying mops, brushes and cloths after every use — drying mops and cloths is particularly important, since many pathogens rely on moisture to thrive using disinfectants to clean up blood and other spills of bodily fluids when using disinfectants — always wearing gloves, cleaning the surfaces before using the disinfectant, and always following the manufacturer's instructions exactly spot cleaning when necessary.

Dealing with spills of body fluids Examples of body fluids include blood, saliva, urine and faeces. Always: Isolate the area. Wear gloves, a plastic apron and eye protection, such as goggles. Soak up the fluid with disposable paper towels, or cover the spill with a granular chlorine-releasing agent for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Scoop up granules and waste using a piece of cardboard or similar , place in a plastic bag and dispose of appropriately. Mix one part bleach to 10 parts water and apply to the area for 10 minutes.

Wash the area with hot water and detergent. Dry the area. Dispose of paper towelling and gloves appropriately. Wash your hands. Infection control information and resources for acute care, dialysis, long-term care, and outpatient settings. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Infection Control. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Statistics and Research. Clinical Trials. Article: Diagnostic accuracy of electronic surveillance tool for catheter-associated urinary tract infections Article: Effect of a multifaceted intervention to improve clinical quality of care Infection Control -- see more articles.

Find an Expert. When you cough or sneeze it is important to use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose. If you are able, try using your forearm to block your cough. If you cough into your hands, you need to wash your hands immediately as your hands can transmit germs to surfaces or people you may be in contact with.