Key Legislation of infection prevention & control

Author: M.F

Health and safety at work Act

Key purposes and aims Ensuring the environment is safe and free from harm to anyone because if a patient becomes ill due to a lack of health and safety at work then the health and safety worker job could be at risk. Assessing the area for risks before proceeding with tasks. This should be done because the area should be safe for people and there should be no hazard of infection. Checking equipment for faults before use and making sure they are cleaned properly. This should be done so that no infection is passed through equipment, this could be done by not sterilised the reusable equipment. You could overcome this by sterilising the equipment with hot water so that all infections are killed. Use of appropriate personal protective equipment. This is based on the setting you are in, for example you use gloves and a mask when in a room with someone with Tuberculosis in a hospital or you use an apron and gloves when changing someones cloths in a care home. Handling and disposing hazardous/contaminated waste correctly. This should be done so that no infection is spread through hazardous/contaminated waste, for example a red bag will be used if the health care setting is disposing of contaminated/hazardous clothes/bed sheets and black bag will be used if the health care setting is disposing of food that has be contaminated or left over. Disposal of sharp implements appropriately. This should be done so that infection does not enter body because of sharp objects. For example a Daniels bin is a special bin that disposes sharp objects like needles and glass veils. Shared responsibilities employers/employees. This is important because the people cleaning the rooms have to be check and make sure that they know what they are doing. Why? To make the area a safe environment is free from diseases and to prevent infection.

Who is the targeted audience? Employers and employee because together they can make sure that their health care setting is free from infection. Cleaners to make sure they use all the procedures to make sure the health care setting is free from infection. How does it relate to Infection Prevention and Control? It makes sure the infection is prevented through PPE Makes sure that contaminated equipment is not used on patient and infection is not spread by used the right procedures to make the equipment is either clean or disposed of correctly. Who is responsible to ensure that this takes place? Local authority Ward Managers Examples: If a patient had Tuberculosis and there was not a blue sign on the door informing visitors, staff and other patients then there is a huge risk that they could get the diseases.

The public health (Control of diseases Act) 1974.

The doctor must complete a certificate stating: the name, age and sex of the patient and the address of the premises where the patient is, this is done because of security reasons. the notifiable condition from which the patient is or is suspected to be, suffering from. This is done so that the doctor know what to do for the patient. the date or approximate date of the onset of the condition. If the premises are a hospital, the day on which the patient was admitted, the address of the premises from which they came there and whether or the condition from which the patient is or is suspected to be suffering was contracted in hospital. The public health act aim is to insure that everyone has the right amount of care so that infection is not passed throughout the area of the infected patient. If this is not done there is going to an outbreak of infection of the setting the patient is.

Who is the targeted audience?

It targets the staff to collect and find information about service users. It is for all ages (who are admitted to the doctors or even to the hospital). This could be of an infectious disease that the service user may have spread to others around them. An example of this would be say a child got brought into the hospital with TB this is a airborne bacteria so it is able to survive in the air for long periods of time, so this is where the patients name, age, address, sex and what they are suspected or suffering from. So they would have to see if anyone in that address or around that address is affected by this so if they are then they would get tested for this and further action would be taken if found positive. It relates to infection prevention & control by being able to reduce the risk the risk of spreading an infection to others and being able to control the infection so it will not spread. The staff are responsible to ensue that this takes place to make sure that the infection is a minimum level and doesnt cause a outbreak.

How does it relate to Infection Prevention and Control?

Who is responsible to ensure that this takes place?

RIDDOR 1995
The legislations key purpose
RIDDOR 95 stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations in work places 1995. The main purpose is if any accidents or deaths occur, the law ensures that it is reported and then a risk assessment to be carried out. Every workplace must contain an accident report form as correct documentation of an accident, incident or near-miss is important. Note of dates and times should be written down in detailed notes. Why?

RIDDOR ensures that accidents are reported and investigated to identify all the causes and to make sure that rules and regulations are put in place to ensure that its does not happen again. By doing this it decreases the risk on employers or member of the public suing the company of criminal and civil legal actions.

Who is the targeted audience?

RIDDOR targets elderly people and vulnerable people in a health care environment. This is because they have a weaker immune system and are more prone to illnesses and accidents. For example, it is targeted for children because they are quite likely to get into accidents.

A report on the persons death or accident must be reported to the HSE so that once that has been done, they can start risk assessments. It is important to have risk assessments on the person so they can investigate what happened to the person, of even if the person had a serious infection or any injuries. If the reports give useful information they could try and prevent infections on anybody else with the help of these reports. For example If somebody collapses, and an investigation takes place, they may find that this person had an infection which was found out by the risk assessment. If a child has diarrhoea or nausea, then this must be reported because it is easier for other people to catch it due to children sharing toys, sharing fluid and poor hygiene

Who is responsible to ensure that this takes place?

If you have an accident you must report it to your supervisor, who will then pass the information onto your manager and an Accident Report Form is completed. This is because they have more authority and power and it is their duty.

The Public Health Infectious Diseases Regulation 1988

The legislations key purpose
The Public Health Infectious Diseases Regulation 1988 main purpose is to protect the public from infections (such as chickenpox) and to collect certain infectious diseases so they can be investigated and monitored by the district health authority. This information will help health care organisation of common diseases. It targets the vulnerable members of public for example elderly people or young children because it relates to infections, they could investigate it and sees how they could prevent in pubic places, it raises awareness to health care organisations of likely diseases that are in the health care organisations. In England and Wales, Doctors have a duty to disclose to a 'Proper Officer' of the local authority if they are aware that a patient is suffering from a disease. The doctor must complete a certificate stating certain information of the individual.

Who is the targeted audience?

Who is responsible to ensure that this takes place?

The doctor must complete a certificate stating certain information of the individual;

Name Age Sex of the patient. The address of the premises where the patient is The notifiable condition from which the patient is, or is suspected to be, suffering.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsands tatistics/publications/publicationspolicyandguidance/browsable/DH_580375 3

COSHH (2002)
What is the legislations key purpose?

These state that employers have a duty to protect their staff from any hazard, whether biological or chemical substance, that would cause injury to them. Any such substance should be stored or contained in such a manner that it is made safe as possible. This should be done because so that no infection is spread around the premises. Who does it target? This legislation target employer, employees and anyone in the work place including children of a small age and elderly people because young children might not know what hazardous substances are and elderly people might not know what they pick up and drink. COSHH targets children because if a employee leaves for example bleach on the table a child might think it is a drink and walk away with it and drink it. It also targets people who are using the substances because they should have protective equipment so that they are in no harm as well. How does it relate to infection prevention & control? COSHH relate to infection prevention control because the act make sure that chemical or biological substance are all stored away, so that everyone is protected.

Who is responsible to ensure that this takes place? The responsibility is on the employer because they have to assure that the safety of their worker is promoted. This is important so that for example children wont drink any harmful substances like bleach. Another example is that so that elderly people dont overdose on medication. You could assure this by locked all harmful substances away out of reach for example locking it in a cardboard.