7-2006 - General Practices for Exposure Control

When possible, all MPD employees shall practice Universal Precautions to reduce the risk of infection by blood borne pathogens. Universal Precautions shall be used for all activities involving contact with blood, tissue, body fluids, equipment and materials that may be contaminated by infectious disease.

All MPD employees are responsible for ensuring that the following Universal Precautions and policies are followed when interacting with any potentially infectious individuals or handling potentially infectious materials:

1. Employees shall not eat, drink or smoke in work areas or at crime scenes where bodily fluids are present or other contagious factors exist.
2. Food and drink shall not be kept in refrigerators, freezers, shelves, cabinets or on countertops where blood or other potentially infectious materials are present.
3. Employees shall wash their hands and any other skin with soap and water, or flush mucus membranes with water immediately or as soon as feasible following contact of such body areas with blood or other potentially infectious materials.
4. Contaminated needles and other contaminated sharps shall be properly disposed of in a “sharps” container or stored in leak-proof, puncture resistant packaging if needed to preserve for evidentiary purposes.
5. Property and evidence containing blood and/or body fluids or other potentially infectious materials shall be placed in a container which prevents leakage during collection, handling, processing, transport and storage. The container used for transport or storage shall be labeled or clearly marked in such a way that it is evident that blood, body fluids or other potentially infectious materials are inside.
6. All handling or decontamination of items contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials shall be performed in such a manner as to minimize splashing, spraying, spattering and generation of droplets of these substances.
7. Sworn MPD employees have an obligation to inform other support personnel (MPD civilians, firefighters, paramedics, etc.) whenever a subject has blood or bodily fluids on his/her person, or if the subject has made a voluntary statement that he/she has a contagious disease.
8. Sworn MPD employees shall indicate in the CAPRS report when an individual taken into custody makes a voluntary statement that he/she has an infectious disease. A notation shall also be made in the related supplements when a subject has blood or bodily fluids on his/her person or clothing.
9. Employees shall not refuse to work with or handle any individual – victim, complainant or suspect because of the employee’s fears of possible infection.
10. Employees shall not refuse to arrest or otherwise refuse to handle any person in a legitimate law enforcement context, provided that appropriate protective equipment is available.
11. Employees shall use appropriate PPE unless it is the employee’s professional judgment that in a specific instance its use would prevent the delivery of public safety services or it would pose an increased hazard to the safety of the employee or a co-worker. When the employee makes this judgment, the circumstances shall be documented in CAPRS and with a Supervisor’s Report of Injury to be reviewed by the employee’s supervisor in order to determine whether changes can be instituted to prevent such occurrences in the future.
12. Employees should be aware that certain prescribed medications, such as steroids and asthma medications, can suppress their immune systems increasing their susceptibility to infectious diseases. Employees should consult with their physician if they are taking prescription drugs.