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Revised -XO\ <br />EC 5: Scene Operations (Continued): <br />•Hand washing with soap and water will be performed for ten to fifteen seconds. <br />If soap and water is not available at the scene, a waterless hand wash will be <br />used, provided that a soap and water wash is performed immediately upon return <br />to the station of arrival at the hospital. <br />•Eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, or applying cosmetics or lip <br />balm is prohibited at the scene of operations or in the potentially contaminated <br />area of the emergency vehicle. <br />•Heads will be protected with covers as specified in this policy and additionally <br />hair lengths longer than the collar will be secured so that it does not come in <br />contact with patients or equipment. <br />•Used needles and other sharps shall be disposed of by the technician performing <br />the procedure in approved sharps containers. Sharps will not be handled by any <br />other person for any reason. <br />•Needles will not be recapped, resheathed, bent, broken, or separated from <br />disposable syringes. The most common occupational blood exposure occurs <br />when needles are recapped. <br />•Used sharps will not be temporarily laid down or stuck in any seat, bench or <br />elsewhere for any reason. <br />•All instruments used for starting IVs, drawing blood, injecting medication and all <br />other skills that require penetration of the skin of patients will be properly <br />disposed of at the completion of the procedure. The container used to hold or <br />store blood or body fluids will be the responsibility of the technician performing <br />the procedure. <br />•Sharps containers will be easily accessible. <br />•Lost sharps will be reported in writing to the Supervisor immediately and a search <br />of the unit and scene will be conducted to find the item. When found document <br />location and dispose of properly. <br />•Disposable resuscitation equipment will be used whenever possible. For CPR, <br />the order of preference is: <br />o Disposable bag-valve mask. <br />o Reusable bag-valve mask. <br />o Disposable pocket mask with one-way valve. <br />•Patients with suspected airborne communicable diseases will be transported <br />wearing a facemask whenever possible. Ambulance windows will be open and <br />ventilation systems turned on whenever possible. <br />•Fluid spills and broken containers will be cleaned up immediately. Fluid spills will <br />be adsorbed using bandaging material and broken containers will be cleaned up <br />using mechanical means, such as a brush and dustpan, tongs, or forceps. <br />•At conclusion of on-scene operations, all potentially contaminated patient care <br />equipment will be removed for appropriate disposal or decontamination and <br />reuse. This includes, but is not limited to sharps, dressing materials, etc. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 79C5D167-B6CA-4E59-B4AC-AA38CC1B20BD