NIOSH advice: Preventing exposure to sterilants
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers the following advice for reducing the risk of exposure to sterilants:
What hospital managers can do:
- Require use of appropriate PPE to prevent eye, face, hand, arm, and body contact with concentrated peracetic acid as well as other cleaning chemicals and contaminated equipment.
- Provide hazard communication training for A2 GI Lab Steris Room employees.
- Train employees in standard operating procedures for spills, leaks, and processor malfunctions.
- Ask Steris Corp. to provide new employee and annual refresher inservice training.
- Make sure that processors are inspected periodically for worn parts that can cause leaks.
- Notify Steris Corp. of leaks and equipment problems.
- Increase ventilation in the A2 GI Lab Steris Room for odor control and the comfort of the workers.
What employees can do:
- Wear tight-fitting, splash-resistant goggles and acid-resistant gloves, sleeves, and apron when handling sealed Steris cups during normal operations.
- Wear a face shield over eye protection along with routine PPE when handling or disposing of a cup that is not completely empty.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for handling Steris cups and operating processors.
- Tell management about problems with processors or Steris cups, or if you notice worn processor seals or other parts.
- Follow standard operating procedures for processor problems, leaks, and sterilant spills.
- Participate in training when provided.
Source: Sylvain D, Gibbins J. Evaluation of worker exposures to peracetic acid-based sterilant during endoscope reprocessing. Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 2006-0298-3090. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2006-0298-3090.pdf.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers the following advice for reducing the risk of exposure to sterilants:Article Limit Reached
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content